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UBRARY  Q^^  PRINCETON 


APR  1 6  20 


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JHEGLOGiCAL  Si^iViiNARY 


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NOV  23  1958 


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JAVA  AND  ITS 
CHALLENGE 


By  ^ 

ELIZABETH  HARPER  BROOKS 


A   MISSION    STUDY    COURSE   FOR    THE 
PITTSBURG  CONFERENCE  YOUNG  PEOPLE 


COPYRIGHT,  1911, 
BT  ELIZABETH   HARPER  BROOKS. 


To    THE 

Members  of  the  Epworth  Leagub 

OF    THE 

Pittsburg  Conference 

AVno 

By  Their  Gifts  Made  Possible 

The  Beginning  of 

American  Missionary  Effort  in  Java, 

This  Book  is  Dedicated. 


Contents, 


Chapter  Page 

Introduction 7 

A  Foreword 9 

I.     A  General  View  of  Java  -        -        -  13 

11.     The  Peoples       -                 -        -        -  28 

III.  The  Religions 46 

IV.  The  Government      -        -        -        -  63 
V.     Missionary  Efforts      -        -        -        -  81 

VI.     The  Work  and  Workers  -        -      101 

VII.     The  Work  and  Workers — Continued  -  117 

VIII.     Opportunities  and  Needs         -        -      133 


APPENDIXES. 

A.  Rbports  of  the  Java  Work  from  the 

Minutes  of  the  Malaysia  Confer- 
ence          147 

B.  Some  Letters  from  Our  Missionaries  182 

C.  Important  Dates       .        .        .        .      195 

D.  List  of  Reference  Books    -        -        -  196 

5 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 

Map  of  Malaysia Frontispiece 


PAOINQ 

Governor  General's  Palace  —  Botanical  Gardens,  Bultenzorg, 
Java.     Botanical  Gardens,  Bultenzorg,  Java 20 

Native  "Well 80 

Rice  Harvest,  the  Home-Bringing 40 

English  Protestant  Church  In  Batavla,  Java 50 

Our  Missionaries— Mr.  and  Mrs.  Denyes  and  Family 60 

Bernard  Christopher  "Wren.  Ek  Poel  and  His  Wife,  First  Con- 
verts in  Java 70 

Mr.  Buchanan 80 

Mr.  Buchanan's  House  at  Tjlsarvea 90 

Building  of  the  Bultenzorg  Anglo-Chinese  School  and  Malay- 
Speaking  Chinese  Church 100 

Nichodemus,  Balok  Arpasad,  J.  R.  Denyes,  Menasseh,  Anna, 
Esther  Arpasad,  Naomi  Menasseh,  Christina  Arpasad, 
Christian  Workers  at  Pasar  Senen,  Batavla,  Java 110 

Rev.  J.  R.  Denyes  and  Balok  Arpasad 120 

The  First  Malay  Methodist  Quarterly  Conference.  The  New 
Church  Building  Erected  at  Kampong  Sawa  in  1908  at  a 
Cost  of  $100,  Gold 180 

Bishop  W.  F.  Oldham.     Otto  A.  Carlson 140 

E.  Naomi  Ruth.     Javanese  Women 150 

A  Native  Church.  First  District  Conference  of  the  Nether- 
lands, India  District 160 

Some  Converts.     A  Native  School 170 

The  Village  School  at  Kampong  Sawa 180 

6 


INTRODUCTION. 

Java  is  a  fascinatingly  beautiful  land  which  is  just 
emerging  from  obscurity  in  the  thinking  and  planning 
of  American  tourists.  But  more  than  that,  and  bet- 
ter, Java  has  recently  been  entered  as  a  mission  field 
by  an  American  Society  through  the  efforts  of  a  band 
of  earnest  yoimg  Christians  in  and  about  Pittsburg, 
Pennsylvania. 

''Java  and  Its  Challenge"  is  a  brief  attempt  to 
bring  this  before  the  young  life  of  Western  Pennsyl- 
vania. But  it  will  not  stop  there.  The  lure  of  the 
East  and  the  high  romance  of  this  extraordinary  mis- 
sionary undertaking,  so  painstakingly  narrated  by 
Miss  Elizabeth  Brooks,  will  receive  the  wider  reading 
it  deserves.  I  have  read  the  manuscript  and  heartily 
commend  the  book  to  its  readers. 

W.  F.  Oldham, 
Bishop  Southern  Asia,  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 

Singapore,  Strait  Settlements, 
December  i.  1910. 


A  FOREWORD. 

The  need  of  information  about  Java  and  of  the 
wonderful  opportunities  in  that  island  has  long  been 
felt  by  the  leaders  of  the  Java  Movement  within  the 
Pittsburg  Conference.  After  repeated  requests  the 
writer  has  <?ome  to  the  task  of  preparing  the  study, 
solely,  that  through  it  the  Kingdom  in  Java  might  be 
advanced.  There  are  few  writings  on  Java,  and  it 
has  been  a  difficult  task  to  cull  material  for  the  book. 
To  write  of  a  land  without  having  seen  it,  and  to 
make  it  real  to  the  reader,  is  not  easy.  Some  seven 
years  ago  the  vision  of  the  marvelous  opportunity  for 
Christian  service  among  the  32,000,000  of  waiting 
people  in  Java  came  into  the  author's  life.  The  vision 
of  the  possibility  of  the  evangelization  of  .Java  within 
this  generation  made  possible  this  writing. 

If  the  young  people  of  the  Pittsburg  Conference 
are  aroused  to  the  doing  of  greater  things  for  Java, 
and  if  through  them  others  become  interested  in  the 
wonderland  of  opportunities  before  the  Church  in  that 
island,  this  book  will  have  served  its  purpose.  May 
God  use  these  pages  to  increase  interest  and  enthusi- 
asm, prayer,  and  gifts  of  life  and  money  until  Java 
is  indeed  the  Lord's. 

Elizabeth  Harper  Brooks. 

Beaver,  Pa.,  August  29,  1910, 


JAVA  AND  ITS  CHALLENGE. 


CHAPTER  I. 
A  GENERAL  VIEW  OP  JAVA. 

Situation. — ''Java,  the  peerless  gem  in  that  mag- 
nificent empire  of  Insulinde,  which  winds  about  the 
equator  like  a  garland  of  emeralds,"  lies  six  degrees 
below  and  parallel  with  the  equator  for  six  hundred 
miles  between  the  Java  Sea  and  the  Indian  Ocean, 
and  southeast  of  the  Malay  Peninsula. 

Size  and  Population. — The  Island  of  Java,  well 
named  the  Paradise  of  the  Eastern  Tropics  and  the 
Pearl  of  the  East,  resembles  in  many  points  Cuba,  the 
Pearl  of  the  Antilles.  Cuba  has  an  area  of  about 
45,000  square  miles,  while  Java  contains  50,798  square 
miles.  The  population  of  Cuba  is  one  and  a  half  mil- 
lions, that  of  Java  about  thirty -two  millions. 

Java,  about  the  size  of  Pennsylvania,  has  as  many 
people  as  the  continent  of  South  America.  In  1800 
the  population  was  but  three  million.  Statistics  give 
the  annual  increase  as  seven  hundred  thousand.  Com- 
paring the  population  of  Java  with  that  of  the  other 
islands  of  the  East  Indies,  we  find  that  while  Sumatra, 
Borneo,  Celebes,  and  other  islands  are  sixteen  times 
as  large  as  Java,  Java  is  peopled  with  five  times  as 
many  souls.  Here  we  find  twenty  thousand  Euro- 
peans, four  hundred  thousand  Chinese,  and  the  brown- 

13 


JAVA  AND  ITS  CHALLENGE. 

skinned  Javanese,  Sundanese,  Madurese,  Bantamese, 
and  the  Malay. 

Government. — The  government  is  administered  by 
Holland.  Later  we  shall  learn  how  the  Dutch  Govern- 
ment is  master  in  this  island  empire. 

Climate. — One  would  naturally  expect  intense 
heat  so  near  the  equator.  But  we  must  think  again 
and  recall  that  Java  is  six  degrees  south  of  the  equator. 
In  going  south  we  travel  toward  a  cooler  climate. 
One  traveler  tells  that  during  a  stay  in  Batavia,  in 
June,  the  thermometer  never  rose  above  eighty -six  de- 
grees. The  seacoast  towns  are  usually  hot ;  very  much 
like  Singapore  or  Calcutta  in  midsummer.  In  the 
east  we  find  that  the  volcanic  altitudes  give  a  tem- 
perate climate,  while  the  hilly  and  mountainous  in- 
terior is  cool  and  pleasant.  On  the  plains  or  lowlands 
we  may  find  hot,  sultry  days ;  but  by  a  short  journey 
one  may  be  among  cooling  breezes  even  on  a  low  ele- 
vation. 

Hurricanes. — Hurricanes  and  typhoons,  so  much 
known  in  some  parts  of  the  Eastern  seas,  are  strangers 
to  the  waters  around  Java.  From  April  to  October 
the  dry  monsoon  coming  from  the  southeast  brings  the 
dry,  hot  days  and  the  coolest  nights.  From  October 
to  April  comes  the  wet  monsoon,  with  the  daily  rain, 
the  heavy  atmosphere,  and  the  mists. 

Products. — *  *  Java  is  to-day  one  of  the  most,  if  not 
the  most,  productive  piece  of  soil  on  the  face  of  the 
earth. '*  There  seems  to  be  no  end  to  its  natural 
wealth.  Its  broad  valleys  and  terraced  hills  are  in- 
exhaustibly fertile.     Rice,  the  principal  food  of  the 

14 


A  GENERAL  VIEW  OF  JAVA. 

people,  coffee,  sugar,  pepper,  tea,  spices,  tobacco,  one- 
half  the  world 's  quinine,  rattan,  rubber,  red  teak,  pea- 
nut oil,  are  among  the  chief  products  of  the  Java  soil. 
The  rice  fields,  one  mile  wide  and  several  miles  long, 
have  been  described  as  ''scenes  of  exquisite  charm 
never  to  be  forgotten. ' '  Forests  are  to-day  being  cut 
down  to  make  way  for  tea  gardens  and  an  increase 
in  its  production.  Several  years  ago  a  blight  came 
upon  the  coffee  trees  from  which  they  have  never  re- 
covered, and  of  late  years  the  coffee  output  has  been 
limited.  However,  a  movement  is  on  foot  to  reclaim 
the  coffee  areas.  Java  ranks  second  to  Cuba  in  the 
sugar  production  of  the  world.  In  1908  Hawaii  pro- 
duced more  than  five  hundred  thousand  tons  of  sugar. 
The  sugar  tonnage  of  Java  in  1907  was  1,282,705  tons, 
or  more  than  two  and  a  half  times  that  of  Hawaii 
in  1908r  Maize,  plantain,  potatoes,  and  beans  are  also 
cultivated.  The  soil  needs  little  care  and  yields  as 
many  as  three  crops  a  year.  The  richest  and  the  most 
highly  cultivated  island  of  the  sea  is  this  wonderland 
of  Java.  This  is  not  due  alone  to  nature's  gift  of 
fertile  soil,  but  to  the  ''Culture  System"  introduced 
by  the  Dutch  in  the  last  century.  A  full  explanation 
of  the  Culture  System  will  be  found  in  chapter  four. 

Market  places  are  open  twice  a  week^  in  both  cities 
and  villages,  and  anything  needed  may  be  purchased 
or  secured  in  exchange  for  what  the  purchaser  has 
brought  to  market. 

Volcanoes. — From  east  to  west  there  stretches 
across  Java  a  chain  of  volcanoes;  some  active,  some 
extinct.     These   peaks,   about   fourscore   in  number, 

15 


JAVA  AND  ITS  CHALLENGE. 

rising  one  above  another  till  Smeroe  towers  above 
them  all,  form  a  scene  of  exquisite,  indescribable 
beauty.  Through  the  eyes  of  those  who  have  traveled 
in  the  island  we  give  our  readers  a  picture  of  some  of 
these  volcanoes: 

* '  To  go  to  Tosari  without  seeing  the  Bromo  is  tan- 
tamount to  going  to  Rome  without  seeing  St.  Peter's. 
The  journey  is  made  on  pony  or  in  a  sedan  chair  by 
way  of  the  Moengal  Pass  and  the  Dassar  or  Sand  Sea, 
which  is  in  reality  the  enormous  Tengger  Crater,  in- 
side of  which  there  are-  two  craters  in  addition  to  that 
of  the  Bromo,  the  only  one  showing  signs  of  activity. 
The  road  gradually  ascends,  bordered  by  cabbage,  po- 
tatoes, onion,  and  Indian-corn  fields,  here  and  there 
intersected  w^ith  young  tjemara  trees,  which  are 
planted  by  order  of  government  to  make  up  for  the 
lack  of  wood.  The  monotony  of  these  vegetable  fields 
is  somewhat  relieved  by  the  numbers  of  blossoming 
herbs  and  wild  plants  that  fringe  the  road,  showing 
between  the  fields  colors  of  every  hue.  Half  way  en 
route  to  the  Moengal  Pass  a  magnificent  perspective 
is  opened  out  to  us  on  the  south.  There  we  see  a 
volcanic  peak,  the  Smeroe,  standing  in  all  its  naked- 
ness and  glittering  in  the  yellow,  glowing  rays  of  the 
suQv  It  has  the  appearance  of  being  painted  in  vivid 
colors  against  the  beautiful  blue  expanse  of  sky  rising 
from  an  irregularly-planted  girdle  of  olive-green  tje- 
mara woods.  From  time  to  time  a  white  cloud  of 
smoke  ascends  from  the  western  corner.  The  Smeroe, 
twelve  thousand  feet  high,  is  the  highest  volcano  in 
Java.     After  a  journey  of  two  hours  we  reach  the 

16 


A  GENERAL  VIEW  OF  JAVA. 

Moengal  Pass.  Here  the  road  divides  into  two 
branches,  the  left  one  of  which  leads  for  a  short  time 
up  a  steep  path  to  a  small  plateau,  on  which  stands  a 
little  hut.  On  the  top,  suddenly  and  quite  unex- 
pectedly, an  overwhelmingly  beautiful  spectacle  is  re- 
vealed to  the  astonished  eye  of  the  traveler.  This  is 
the  view  over  the  Zandee  (Sea  of  Sand),  with  its  vol- 
canoes Battok,  Bromo,  and  Widodaren.  Standing  on 
the  edge  of  a  steep  precipice,  we  see  below  us  in  the 
valley  an  extensive  lake,  almost  as  smooth  as  a  mirror, 
which,  however,  is  not  filled  with  water,  but  with  yel- 
lowish-gray desert  sand.  From  this  sandy  plain  rise 
three  different  mountains;  first  the  Battok,  with  ra- 
diating ribs  and  curves,  scalloped  bases,  and  a  slightly 
indented,  flat  top,  so  regularly  shaped  that  we  might 
fancy  we  saw  a  gigantic  pudding-mold.  From  behind 
the  Battok,  partly  obscured  by  it,  a  murky  fantastic- 
ally indented  ridge  is  sitill  to  be  seen,  which  evidently 
incloses  a  deep  cave,  as  a  portion  of  the  steep,  precipi- 
tous, and  pitch-dark  interior  can  still  be  observed,  set 
off  against  the  green  declivity  of  the  Battok.  This  is 
the  furnace  of  the  crater  Bromo,  from  which  emerge 
small,  vaporous,  light-blue  or  enormous  black  clouds 
of  smoke,  var>4ng  in  hue  according  to  the  activity 
of  the  volcano.  Right  across  'the  Bromo  an  extensive 
view  is  obtained.  In  bright  weather  we  can  see  the 
notched  edge  of  the  Ijang  Mountain  and  the  clean 
cone  of  the  Lamongam,  which  is  always  smoking.  To 
the  south  is  the  majestic  cone  of  the  Smeroe;  thus 
there  are  fthree  active  volcanoes  close  to  each  other. 
If  we  happen  to  be  pre;»ent  at  an  eruption  of  the 
2  17 


JAVA  AND  ITS  CHALLENGE. 

Bromo  we  may  see  the  black  volumes  of  smoke  rise, 
and  we  may  hear  a  strange  roaring  noise  while  a 
shower  of  stones  and  lava  falls  in  and  around  the 
crater.  On  such  an  occasion  the  thundering  voice  of 
the  volcano,  issuing  from  the  trembling  rocks,  is  ter- 
rible to  hear. 

''The  descent  of  the  Sand  Sea  leads  up  along  a 
very  steep  zigzag  path  which  is  rather  too  dangerous 
and  difficult  for  horses ;  so  it  is  safer  to  dismount.  At 
the  top  of  the  stairlike  path  we  discover,  on  both  sides 
of  the  hill  ranges,  small  vaultlike  holes  dug  by  human 
hands.  These  are  the  places  where  the  Tenggerese 
sacrifice  to  their  Dewa's,  or  spirits,  when  setting  foot 
on  the  dwelling-places  of  these  invisible  beings.  To 
reach  the  Bromo  it  is  necessary  to  ride  around  the 
west  and  north  side  of  the  Battok.  When  doing  so 
we  fancy  from  time  to  time  that  we  are  riding  in  a 
desert.  The  gray  sand  sparkles  in  the  sun,  sends  up 
whirling  eddies  in  the  trembling  hot  layers  above  its 
surface,  and  causes  a  mirage  that  reminds  one  of  a 
fata  morgana.  When  we  arrive  at  the  east  side,  we 
are  able  to  see  the  Bromo  in  its  entire  circumference 
like  a  gigantic  naked  compact  belt  of  lava,  with  sharp 
edges  and  deeply -notched  and  carved  slopes.  A  laby- 
rinth of  rounded  sand  hills  formed  by  the  water  and 
confusedly  grouped  together  is  found  at  its  foot.  The 
shining  tops  of  these  hills,  hardened  by  the  sun,  are 
marked  out  by  the  rain  like  the  lining  of  square 
tarpaulins  against  the  dark-gray  slopes.  The  slope 
gets  steeper  near  the  top  and  is  covered  all  over  with 
volcanic   ashes.     This    causes    these   rain    gullies   to 

18 


A  GENERAL  VIEW  OF  JAVA. 

stand  out  prominently.  From  one  point  of  the  edge 
of  the  crater  we  observe  wooden  stairs  which  run  up 
the  inside  of  the  very  edge  of  the  crater  itself.  These 
stairs  are  renewed  by  the  Tenggerese  men  once  a  year, 
when  the  great  Bromo  festivities  take  place.  These 
festivities  are  held  in  the  month  of  'May  in  honor  of 
their  principal  god,  Dewa-Soelan-Illoe.  The  huge 
pieces  of  stone  spread  about  the  Bromo  and  upon  its 
slopes  are  the  result  of  extraordinarily  violent  erup- 
tions. They  consist  of  dark  lava,  intermingled  with 
large  sparkling  crystals.  The  ascent  of  the  Bromo 
(only  seven  hundred  and  fourteen  feet  above  the  sur- 
face of  the  Sand  Sea)  is  very  easy  and  unattended 
with  danger,  except  at  the  time  of  the  before-men- 
tioned violent  eruptions,  which  are,  however,  very 
rare.  One  may  go  on  horseback  as  far  as  the  stairs. 
Having  arrived  at  the  top,  we  look  down  into  a  steep 
crater  to  a  depth  of  not  less  than  six  himdred  feet, 
without  any  perceptibly  defined  bottom.  Far  below  in 
the  depth  fumaroles  and  solfatara  are  boiling  and 
foaming;  blue  sulphurous  fumes  rise  to  the  surface, 
while  small  streams  of  ashes  are  hurled  with  a  whiz- 
zing, rumbling  noise  along  the  smooth  walls  and  back 
again  into  the  depth.  It  is  possible  but  not  easy  to 
walk  entirely  around  the  crater  along  a  small  upper 
ledge.  We  stood  on  the  edge  of  an  enormous  crater — 
the  Tengger — with  a  circumference  of  fifteen  miles, 
where  in  prehistoric  times  flames  and  ashes  and  lava 
had  boiled  and  belched  there  was  now  a  sea  of  yellow 
sand,  out  of  which  stood  three  other  volcanic  peaks — 
the  Battok,  the  Bromo,  and  the  Widodaren — showing 

19 


JAVA  AND  ITS  CHALLENGE. 

purple  in  the  morning  light.  The  Battok  is  a  perfect 
cone,  the  lava-oovered  sides  standing  out  in  clearly 
defined  ridges  like  the  buttresses  of  a  Gothic  structure. 
The  Bromo,  as  said  before,  is  the  only  one  of  the 
three  now  active.  As  we  gaze  down  we  are  startled 
by  a  deep  groaning  noise,  and  out  of  the  wide  crater 
mouth  there  issues  westward  a  mass  of  gray  smoke 
and  ashes  streaked  with  fire.  Simultaneously  a  huge 
mass  of  cloud,  cruciform  in  shape,  is  shot  upwards 
hundreds  of  feet  into  the  air  from  the  Smeroe.  It 
rests  a  few  seconds  above  the  bare,  ash-sitrewn  cone 
and  then  drifts  heavily  to  westward  to  make  way  for 
the  next  eruption.  These  indications  of  nature  ^s  ac- 
tivity in  the  crucible  at  the  earth's  center  make  one 
reflect  on  the  possible  consequences  of  the  next  great 
convulsion,  and  the  fate  that  is  in  store  for  those  in- 
trepid villages  who  have  perched  their  primitive  huts 
on  the  very  edge  of  the  Tengger  crater.  With  these 
reflections  we  turn  away  from  one  of  the  most  solemn 
and  impressive  sights  it  has  been  our  privilege  to 
witness,  silently  mount  our  ponies  and  retrace  our 
steps.  * ' 

Cities — Batavia. — ^Batavia,  once  known  as  '*the 
white  man's  grave"  from  the  many  deaths  among  the 
Europeans  in  the  early  days,  is  now  for  the  most  part 
a  healthy,  wholesome  place  in  which  to  live.  Batavia 
is  the  capital  city  of  the  Dutch  East  Indies.  There 
is  an  upper  town  and  lower  town  in  the  city.  The 
trade  is  carried  on  for  the  most  part  in  the  lower  town, 
where  are  to  be  found  the  banks,  mercantile  houses, 
and  places  of  business.    The  upper  town,  AVeltevreden, 

20 


(loVKRiNOK     (iK.NKHAL's     P.VLACK BoTVNICAL    (iAROKNS- 

Blitexzorg,  Java. 


Botanical  CiARDKxs,   Buitknzorg,   Java. 

See  page  -J-J. 


A  GENERAL  VIEW  OF  JAVA. 

is  very  beautiful,  with  beautiful  homes  and  wide  ave- 
nues lined  on  either  side  with  magnificent  trees.  The 
spacious  club-house,  Harmonic,  and  the  palace  of  the 
governor  general  are  here.  Places  of  interest  that 
appeal  to  the  traveler  are  the  Armenian  Church,  the 
Natural  Historical  Society  buildings,  the  Museum  of 
Arts  and  Sciences,  the  Willems  Church,  the  old  cita- 
del Prince  Frederick  Hendrik,  Wilhelmina  Park,  the 
Masonic  Temple,  the  government  ofifices  and  the  statue 
of  J.  P.  Coen,  the  founder  of  Batavia,  who  died  while 
defending  the  town  against  the  Sultans  of  Mataram 
and  Bantam  in  1629. 

The  people  of  Batavia  are  very  cosmopolitan  (in 
character).  The  Malays  constitute  the  largest  part 
of  the  one  hundred  and  eighty  thousand  souls  who 
fill  the  native  kampongs  and  the  upper  and  lower 
towns  of  this  city,  the  ''Queen  of  the  East."  The 
two  rivers — Tjiliwong,  which  flows  through  the  center 
of  Batavia,  and  the  Takatra,  which  skirts  the  sub- 
urbs— add  much  to  the  beauty  of  the  scenery  for  which 
Batavia  is  famous.  Canals  filled  from  the  two  rivers 
intersect  the  city.  Fine  bridges  cross  these  canals, 
and  these  with  the  wide  streets  make  the  city  most 
attractive  to  the  eye. 

BuiTENZORG. — Buitenzorg,  since  1746  the  residence 
of  the  govenor  general,  situated  eight  hundred  and 
fifty -five  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  is  the  home 
of  the  world-famous  botanical  gardens.  Buitenzorg 
is  well  named  "Sans  Souci,"  "free  from  care,"  for 
as  the  beauty  of  this  garden  spot  bursts  on  one  every- 
thing is  forgotten  in  the  thought  of  these  wonders 

21 


JAVA  AND  ITS  CHALLENGE. 

of  Nature.  The  huge  Waringen  trees  which  line  the 
avenues  and  the  rare  orchids,  thick  as  weeds,  make 
one  feel  they  are  indeed  in  a  paradise  of  nature.  Quot- 
ing from  Miss  Scidmore's  ''Java,  the  Garden  of  the 
East,"  we  give  the  following  description  of  this 
garden : 

"The  famous  botanical  garden  at  Buitenzorg  is 
the  great  show  place,  the  paradise  and  pride  of  the 
island.  The  Dutch  are  acknowledgedly  the  best  horti- 
culturists in  Europe,  and  with  the  heat  of  a  tropical 
sun,  a  daily  shower,  and  nearly  a  century's  well- 
directed  efforts  they  have  made  Buitenzorg 's  garden 
first  of  its  kind  in  the  world,  despite  the  rival  efforts 
of  the  French  at  Saigon,  and  of  the  British  at  Singa- 
pore, Ceylon,  Calcutta,  and  Jamaica. 

"The  governor  general's  palace,  greatly  enlarged 
from  the  first  villa  of  1744,  is  in  the  midst  of  the 
ninety-acre  enclosure  reached  from  the  main  gate, 
near  the  hotel  and  the  passar,  by  what  is  undoubtedly 
the  finest  avenue  of  trees  in  the  world.  These  grace- 
ful kanari  trees,  arching  one  hundred  feet  overhead 
in  a  great  green  cathedral  aisle,  have  tall,  straight 
trunks  covered  with  stag-horn  ferns,  birds'  nests 
ferns,  rattans,  creeping  palms,  blooming  orchids,  and 
every  kind  of  a  parasite  and  airplant  the  climate  al- 
lows; and  there  is  a  fairy  lake  of  lotus  and  victoria 
regia  beside  it,  with  pandanus  and  red-stemmed  Banka 
palms  crowded  in  a  great  sheaf  or  bouquet  on  a  tiny 
islet.  When  one  rides  through  this  green  avenue  in 
the  dewy  freshness  of  the  early  morning  it  seems  as 
though  nature  and  the  tropics  oould  do  no  more. 

22 


A  GENERAL  VIEW  OF  JAVA. 

There  is  a  broad  la^vn  at  the  front  of  the  palace, 
shaded  with  great  waringen,  sausage  and  candle  trees, 
and  trees  whose  branches  are  hidden  in  a  mantle  of 
vivid-leafed  bougainvillea  vines,  with  deer  wandering 
and  grouping  themselves  in  as  correct  park  pictures 
as  if  under  branches  of  elm  or  oak  or  beside  the  con- 
ventional ivied  trunks  of  the  north.  It  is  a  tropical 
experience  to  reverse  an  umbrella  and  in  a  few  min- 
utes to  fill  it  with  golden-hearted  white  frangipani 
blossoms,  or  to  find  nutmegs  lying  as  thick  as  acorns 
on  the  ground,  and  break  their  green  outer  shell  and 
see  the  fine  coral  branches  of  mace  enveloping  the  dark 
kernel.  It  is  a  delight,  too,  to  see  the  mangosteens 
and  rambutans  growing,  to  find  bread,  sausages,  and 
candles  hanging  in  a  plenty  from  benevolent  trees, 
and  other  fruits  and  strange  flowers  springing  from  a 
tree's  trunk  instead  of  from  its  branches.  There  are 
thick  groves  and  regular  avenues  of  the  waringen,  a 
species  of  Ficus,  and  related  to  the  banian,  and  the 
rubber  tree,  a  whole  family  whose  roots  crawl  above 
the  ground,  drop  from  the  branches  and  generally 
comport  themselves  in  unconventional  ways.  Bam- 
boos grow  in  clumps  and  thickets,  ranging  from  the 
fine,  feathery-leafed  canes,  that  are  really  only  large 
grasses,  up  to  the  noble  giants  from  Burma,  whose 
stems  are  more  nearly  trunks  easily  soaring  to  a  hun- 
dred feet  in  the  air  and  spreading  there  in  a  solid 
canopy  of  graceful  foliage.  The  creepers  run  from 
tree  to  tree  and  writhe  over  the  ground  like  gray  ser- 
pents; rattan  and  climbing  palms  one  hundred  feet 
in  length  are  common.     Uncommon  ones  stretch  to 

23 


JAVA  AND  ITS  CHALLENGE. 

five  hundred  feet.  There  is  one  creeper  with  a  blos- 
som like  a  magnified  white  violet,  and  with  all  a  wood 
violet's  fragrance,  but  with  only  Dutch  and  botanical 
names  on  the  labels,  one  wanders  ignorantly  and  pro- 
testingly  in  this  paradise  of  strange  things.  The  rarer 
orchids  are  grown  in  matted  sheds  in  the  shade  of  tall 
trees  and,  although  we  saw  them  at  the  end  of  the 
dry  season,  when  few  plants  were  in  bloom,  there  was 
still  an  attractive  orchid  show.  But  the  strangest, 
most  conspicuous  bloom  in  that  choice  corner  was  a 
great  butterfly  flower  of  a  pitcher  plant  whose  pale- 
green  petals  were  veined  with  velvety  maroon,  and 
half  concealed  the  pelican  pouch  of  a  pitcher  filled 
with  water.  It  was  an  evil-looking,  ill-smelling,  sticky 
thing,  and  its  unusual  size  and  striking  colors  made 
it  haunt  one  longest  of  all  vegetable  marvels.  There 
were  other  more  attractive  butterflies  fluttering  on 
plant  stems,  strange  little  woolly  orchids,  like  edel- 
weiss transplanted,  and  scores  lof  delicate  Java  and 
Borneo  orchids,  not  so  well  known  as  the  Venezuelan 
and  Central  American  orchids  commonly  grown  in 
American  hothouses,  and  so  impossible  to  acclimate 
in  Java." 

BoRO  BoEDOER. — Kuius  of  Braham  and  Buddhist 
temples  which  testify  to  the  former  Buddhist  life  in 
Java  are  most  wonderful  at  Bordo  Boedoer  in  mid- 
Java.  Boro  Boedoer,  famous  for  the  ruins  of  the  tem- 
ple of  ''the  many"  or  ''the  collected  Buddhas,"  is 
the  mosit  important  Buddhist  ruin  in  the  world.  In 
beauty  of  architecture  it  can  isafely  be  classed  with 

24 


A  GENERAL  VIEW  OF  JAVA. 

the  Taj  Mahal  of  India,  the  Nikko  Temple  in  Japan, 
and  St.  Peter's  at  Rome. 

Djokjakarta. — Djokjakarta,  in  the  residency  of 
Djokjakarta,  is  the  seat  of  the  Sultan  of  that  district. 
It  is  in  the  center  of  the  residency  and  but  twelve 
miles  from  the  coast.  Historically,  Djokjakarta  is 
initeresting  because  of  the  home  of  the  Sultan,  whose 
former  power  vanished  when  the  Dutch  gained  su- 
premacy in  Java.  The  Dutch  keep  a  large  force 
garrisoned  in  the  Fortress  Vredenburg.  The  Sultan 's 
headquarters,  the  Kraton,  are  within  a  high  wall  in- 
closure,  twelve  feet  high,  fifteen  feet  wide,  and  over 
four  miles  in  circumference.  His  retinue  numbers 
fifteen  thousand  natives. 

SouRABAYA. — Mr.  Burtou  Holmes,  in  an  article  on 
hiis  travels  in  Java,  refers  to  the  cities  as  "dreams  of 
beauty  the  entire  journey."  And  so  we  find  it 
whether  in  the  w^estem,  central,  or  eastern  residencies. 
This  bustling  center  of  the  eastern  residencies,  Soura- 
baya,  is  made  beautiful  by  the  smoking  cones  of  thirty- 
five  active  volcanoes  which  rise  in  the  distance,  and 
by  (the  miles  and  miles  of  sugar  cane  which  cover  hill 
and  lowland.  Sourabaya  has  been  termed  "the  Me- 
tropolis" of  Java's  commercial  w^orld.  ^Ir.  Holmes 
tells  us  "that  in  Sourabaya  we  find  a  city  lively  as 
an  American  city,  with  a  population  picturesque  in 
its  variety."  Here  the  Chinaman  is  seen  in  a  new 
character,  that  of  millionaire.  There  are  many  Chi- 
nese millionaires  in  Java,  the  richest  of  them  being 
exploiters  of  sugar  plantations  or  of  the  tin  mines  on 

25 


JAVA  AND  ITS  CHALLENGE. 

tlie  neighboring  islands.  There  is  one  Chinese  Croesus 
with  sixty  millions  of  dollars.  ' '  One  of  the  amazing 
sights  in  Sourabaya,  to  those  of  us  who  are  accus- 
tomed to  regard  the  Chinese  as  a  race  of  laundrymen, 
is  the  sight  of  sleek,  well-fed,  prosperous-looking  Chi- 
nese bankers,  planters,  merchanit  princes,  or  capital- 
ists driving  about  in  splendidly  appointed  European 
equipages  with  fine  horses,  and  with  well-liveried 
coachmen  and  footmen  on  the  box.  There  are  no 
Javanese  millionaires — the  natives  are  almost  to  a 
man  poor  men." 

Eailroads. — Two  thousand  miles  of  railroad  are 
to  be  found  in  Java.  A  trip  may  be  taken  from  the 
*' Queen  City,"  or  Batavia,  in  the  west  to  the  '' Com- 
mercial Capital,"  Sourabaya,  in  the  east  in  twenty- 
four  hours.  It  is  necessary  to  make  a  two-day  trip 
of  the  journey  because  there  is  no  pressing  need  for 
haste  and  the  Dutch  are  not  sure  of  the  ability  of 
the  natives  as  night  trainmen.  Trains  run  from  six 
o'clock  in  the  morning  to  six  o'clock  in  the  evening. 
Hotels,  under  railroad  management,  are  to  be  found 
at  the  terminals,  where  the  passengers  are  most  com- 
fortably cared  for  during  the  night.  Telegraph  and 
telephone  lines  furnish  means  of  communication. 

Hotels. — In  all  the  large  itowns  and  in  many 
smaller  ones  hotels  are  to  be  found.  In  the  guide  of 
the  Royal  Packet  Line  we  read,  "It  is  a  great  draw- 
back that  in  too  many  instances  the  proprietor  or  man- 
ager of  a  hotel  is  invisible  to  his  guests,  the  business 
being  left  in  the  hands  of  a  native  mandoer.  At 
places  where  there  is  no  hotel,  but  where  it  is  neces- 

26 


A  GENERAL  VIEW  OF  JAVA. 

sary  to  have  suitable  lodgement  of  officials  on  tour, 
rest  houses  affording  the  necessary  accommodations 
have  been  erected  by  the  government,  Eind  these  are 
oftener  cleanlier  and  airier  than  the  small  hotels. 
They  are  found  in  many  large  and  in  a  number  of 
small  villages,  ais  well  as  at  a  few  spots  selected  for 
the  beauty  or  salubrity  of  their  situation  as  suitable 
holiday  resorts. 

Unknown  Java. — ' '  Java  is  not  one  country ;  it  is 
two  in  one.  There  is  the  Java  of  the  Dutch  and  the 
Java  of  the  Javanese,  side  by  side,  one  within  the 
other,  and  each  surrounded  by  the  other,  offering  to 
the  traveler  an  amazing  sum  of  contrasts  and  con- 
tradiction." Java,  called  by  one  writer  *'the  un- 
known Dutch  Empire,"  will  not  deserve  the  name 
much  longer.  Already  a  new  life  is  throbbing  within 
her  veins.  With  her  beauty  of  scene,  her  tropical 
climate  tempered  by  ocean  and  mountain,  Java  is  in- 
deed a  world  of  beauty  and  grandeur.  Until  so  re- 
cently unkno\\Ti,  Java  is  coming  before  the  Christian 
world  to-day  in  a  remarkable  manner.  Java,  beneath 
the  Southern  Cross,  needs  to  be  brought  beneath  the 
Cross  of  Calvary.    Shall  it  be? 


27 


CHAPTER  II. 
THE  PEOPLES. 

Races. — The  Malay  or  brown  race  constitutes  the 
largest  part  of  the  population  of  Java.  Here,  however, 
we  find  imany  other  peoples,  the  Bantamese  from  west 
Java,  the  Sundanese,  ithe  Klingalese,  and  the  Ma- 
doerese  from  east  Java,  the  Javanese  from  the  in- 
terior, the  Arabs,  and  the  Chinese. 

Origin. — It  is  generally  believed  that  the  Javanese 
descended  from  the  race  that  first  peopled  the  East 
Indian  Island.  The  present  day  native  of  Java  is  like 
and  yet  unlike  ithe  native  found  on  the  other  islands. 
All  things  considered,  there  is  sufficient  likeness  to 
enable  one  to  believe  they  belong  to  one  original  race, 

Javanese. — The  native  Javanese,  found  in  the  in- 
terior of  Java,  follows  the  pursuit  that  seems  best 
adapted  to  his  own  characteristics,  the  pursuit  of 
agriculture.  He  is  small  of  stature,  with  small  hands 
and  feet,  bright-brown  complexion,  long,  straight  black 
hair,  black  eyes,  a  round  but  rather  flat  face.  These 
Javanese  have  a  quiet  expression  and  simple  bearing 
which  make  them  appeal  to  one.  These  people  are 
divided  into  two  classes,  the  upper  and  the  lower. 
The  upper  class  are  fairer  of  skin,  more  delicate  and 

28 


THE  PEOPLES. 

refined  in  bearing,  yet  both  classes  are  attractive, 
gentle,  and  kindly. 

Miss  Scidmore  writes  of  them  in  this  way :  ' '  The 
Javanese  are  the  finest  flower  of  the  Malay  race — a 
people  possessed  of  a  civilization,  arts,  and  literature 
in  that  golden  period  before  the  ^Mohammedan  and 
European  conquests.  They  have  gentle  voices,  gentle 
manners,  fine  and  expressive  features,  and  are  the  one 
people  of  Asia  beside  the  Japanese  who  have  real 
charm  and  attraction  for  the  alien.  They  are  more 
winning,  too,  after  one  has  met  the  harsh,  unlovely, 
and  unwashed  people  of  China  or  the  equally  un- 
washed, cringing  Hindu.  They  are  a  little  people  and 
one  feels  the  same  indulgent,  protective  sense  as  to- 
ward the  Japanese.'* 

Malay. — The  Malays,  coming  originally  from  Su- 
matra, are  shorter  of  stature  and  darker  of  skin  than 
the  Javanese.  ''The  sexes  do  not  differ  much  in  ap- 
pearance. They  are  slow  and  circumlocutory  of 
speech,  courteous  and  dignified,  seldom  offensive  or 
quarrelsome,  jealous  of  any  encroachment  on  personal 
freedom,  and  possess  greater  energy  and  acquisitive- 
ness than  other  natives  of  the  island."  The  Malay 
is  domestic  and  fond  of  children,  giving  as  great  care 
to  the  girl  child  as  the  boy.  Healthy,  fairly  good  look- 
ing, and  industrious,  the  Malays  take  life  easy  and 
seem  to  be  free  from  care. 

Chinese. — The  Chinese  are  found  chiefly  in  the 
coast  cities.  *'The  Chinese  in  Netherlands  India  pre- 
sent a  curious  study  in  the  possibilities  of  their  race. 
Under  the  strong  tyrannical  rule  of  the  Dutch  they 

29 


JAVA  AND  ITS  CHALLENGE. 

thrive,  show  ambition  to  adopt  Western  ways,  and 
approach  more  nearly  to  European  standards  than 
one  can  believe  possible." 

The  Chinese  live  in  their  own  quarters  under  a 
form  of  government  which,  while  it  is  administered 
by  the  Chinese  themselves,  is  officered  by  officials  ap- 
pointed by  the  Dutch.  The  Chinese  are  enterprising 
and  persevering,  good  at  driving  a  bargain,  and  are 
credited  with  not  being  often  left  behind  by  others 
in  trade.  The  banks  and  business  houses  employ  the 
Chinese  accoumtant  and  he  takes  a  large  place  in  the 
financial  transactions. 

Mixed  Race. — The  Chinese  have  intermarried  with 
the  Malay  and  the  Javanese  until  a  large  mixed  race 
is  to  be  found  on  the  island,  called  the  Paranaks. 

Arabs. — Many  priests  and  religious  teachers  of  the 
Arab  race  are  scattered  ,over  the  island.  Arabs  not 
engaged  in  religious  teacning  are  merchants  and  are 
located  in  the  coast  towns. 

Language. — The  language  spoken  and  understood 
by  all  natives  and  used  by  the  Europeans  in  their 
intercourse  with  the  natives  is  the  Malay.  ' '  The  lan- 
guage is  soft  and  musical — the  Italian  of  the  Tropics. ' ' 
The  pure  Malay  has  been  more  or  less  intermixed  until 
there  are  four  dialects  spoken.  Of  these  the  Sundanese 
is  used  in  western  Java,  and  the  Javanese  in  the  east- 
em  residencies.  Higginson,  in  writing  of  the  language 
of  Java,  says:  ''The  Javanese  alphabet  is  composed 
of  twenty  consonants,  in  addition  to  which  there  are 
twenty  auxiliary  characters  used  in  forming  the  com- 
pound consonants.     In  addition  to  these  there  are 

30 


Nativk  Well. 


THE  PEOPLES. 

seven  characters,  consisting  of  contractions  of  certain 
consonants  which  are  used  in  connection  with  other 
consonants.  There  are  five  inherent  vowel  signs  and 
five  signs  which  supplant  the  inherent  vowel.*' 

''The  Javanese  wTite  from  right  to  left,  make  the 
letters  entirely  separate,  and  leave  no  space  between 
the  words.  A  comma  or  a  diagonal  line  at  the  end 
of  a  composition  indicates  a  period,  and  is  the  only 
mark  of  punctuation  used.  They  have  no  grammar, 
yet  the  construction  of  their  language  is  regular  and 
extremely  simple.  It  contains  many  synonyms  and  is 
wonderfully  profuse  in  words  expressing  the  most  pro- 
found, delicate,  and  complicated  shades  of  m^eaning. ' ' 

Classic  Language. — ' '  Besides  the  four  dialects  in 
use  in  Java  there  is  a  classic  language  called  the  Kawi, 
in  which  the  fables,  poems,  historical  records,  and  va- 
rious inscriptions  on  stone  are  written.  At  what 
remote  period,  or  how,  the  Kawi  language  was  intro- 
duced into  Java  appears  to  be  imcertain,  but  it  is 
supposed  to  be  the  channel  through  which  the  Java- 
nese received  their  store  of  Sanskrit  words.  A  Java- 
nese scholar  in  writing  uses  many  words  from  the 
Kawd,  which  may  have  been  the  original  language 
employed  throughout  the  archipelago  at  some  earlier 
and  unknown  time.  The  Javanese  language  is  rich, 
copious,  and  refined,  and  suited  to  an  advanced  and 
cultured  people.  It  is  flexible  and  easily  adapted 
to  all  occasions,  and  aboimds  in  graceful  and  delicate 
distinctions.  It  is  soft  and  harmonious,  readily  ac- 
quired and  clings  to  the  memor3^ ' ' 

Literature. — "The  most  important  compositions 
31 


JAVA  AND  ITS  CHALLENGE. 

in  the  ancient  literature  of  Java  are  written  in  the 
Kawi  language.  These  seem  to  consist  of  mythologi- 
cal and  fabulous  acoo'unts  of  Hindu  and  Javanese 
heroes  and  their  miraculous  feats  of  love,  combat,  con- 
quest, and  religion.  What  is  termed  the  modem  liter- 
ature of  the  Javanese  is  generally  written  in  verse  and 
frequently  describes  the  pure  character  of  a  beautiful 
woman,  dwelling  upon  her  virtues  and  her  devotion 
to  God.  They  possess  some  Arabic  compositions  which 
relate  to  religion.  These  are  increasing.  Their  poetry 
is  elevated  in  sentiment  and  seems  to  take  the  char- 
acter of  advice  and  instruction.  An  epic  poem,  called 
the  Holy  War,  is  a  great  favorite.  This  poem  fur- 
nishes the  character  for  one  of  the  most  popular  scenic 
representations  of  early  mythological  Javanese  his- 
tory. The  acting  of  these  poems,  when  accompanied 
with  the  music  of  the  gamalan,  possesses  great  interest 
for  all  classes  of  society." 

Rank. — Profound  respect  is  paid  to  rank  or  posi- 
tion. No  one  of  a  lower  class  would  enter  the  presence 
of  the  upper  class  without  squatting  on  the  floor.  In 
the  West  one  rises  to  pay  honor  to  another,  in  this 
Eastern  land  they  slowly  sink  upon  their  heels  and 
remain  so  while  in  the  presence  of  a  superior.  Unless 
requested  to  do  so  women  do  not  eat  with  their  hus- 
bands or  grown-up  sons.  According  to  Higginson, 
**the  Javanese  pay  great  respect  to  old  age,  sanctity, 
and  experience,  and  when  these  are  accompanied  with 
rank  there  seems  to  be  no  limit  to  the  excess  to  which 
their  deference  is  carried.    In  any  case,  their  respect 

32 


THE  PEOPLES. 

for  a  superior  is  unbounded.  No  native  of  Java,  no 
matter  what  his  position  or  condition,  would  dare  to 
stand  in  the  presence  of  superior  rank.  Through  all 
the  various  grades  of  title  and  office  this  extreme  hom- 
age is  observed.  When  a  native  of  high  rank  travels 
on  the  highway  the  laborers  in  the  field  drop  their 
work  and  assume  the  squatting  position  as  he  passes 
along.  Neither  is  an  inferior  allowed  to  reply  to  a 
superior  in  the  common  language  of  the  country ;  he 
must  reply  in  the  language  of  honor,  the  court  lan- 
guage. Under  no  circumstances  can  a  superior  be 
addressed  in  anything  but  the  court  language,  there- 
fore it  is  positively  necessary  for  those  who  expect  to 
communicate  with  superiors  in  rank,  or  with  court 
officers,  to  possess  a  knowledge  of  the  court  language. 
The  higher  rank,  however,  is  privileged  to  address  the 
lower  in  the  ordinary  vernacular.  Children  of  good 
families  are  practiced  in  these  distinctions  from  ear- 
liest infancy,  and  taught  to  observe  them  in  their 
intercourse  with  their  o^^^l  parents.  To  approach  a 
parent,  a  chief,  or  a  superior  in  rank  or  office  without 
making  'the  sumbah,  a  form  of  obeisance  consisting  in 
closing  the  hands  together,  raising  them  to  the  fore- 
head and  inclining  the  body  forward,  is  a  breach  of 
good  manners  never  committed." 

Marriage. — Contract  for  marriage  is  often  made 
by  the  parents  or  friends  very-  early  in  life.  Every 
one  marries,  as  a  rule,  before  the  age  of  twenty.  An 
unmarried  woman  would  be  a  curiosity.  Presents  are 
exchanged  at  the  time  of  the  marriage  contract  be- 

3  33 


JAVA  AND  ITS  CHALLENGE. 

tween  the  families  of  the  bride  and  bridegroom. 
"When  all  is  ready  the  father  of  the  bride,  accompa- 
nied by  the  bridegroom,  proceeds  to  the  mosque,  where 
the  chief  priest  collects  the  marriage  fees  and  pro- 
nounces the  betrothed  parties  man  and  wife,  after 
which  the  bridegroom  returns  to  the  house  of  his 
father-in-law,  where  the  bride  comes  out  to  meet  him 
•with  a  low  obeisance  in  token  of  her  submission  ito  him 
during  the  remainder  of  her  life.  Feasts  and  festi- 
vals celebrate  the  occasion,  and  processions  with  music 
conduct  the  bride  to  the  house  of  her  father-in-law/' 

Divorce. — "Divorces  are  frequent  and  very  easily 
obtained.  If  the  wife  is  dissatisfied  with  her  husband 
she  can  pay  a  sum  in  proportion  to  her  rank  and  be 
rid  of  him;  he  on  his  part  accepting  her  decree,  con- 
sidering it  a  disgrace  to  be  connected  with  a  woman 
who  treats  him  with  derision  and  contempt.  The  hus- 
band may  divorce  his  wife  whenever  he  pleases  by 
returning  her  dower  or  providing  her  with  a  suitable 
support."     This  is  not  always  done. 

Polygamy. — Polygamy  is  generally  practiced  in 
the  country.  There  are  those  who  have  been  known  to 
have  as  many  as  sixty  or  tseventy  children.  "The 
effects  of  polygamy  are  not  conducive  to  the  elevation 
of  their  character.  Among  the  upper  classes  its  bane- 
ful influences  are  not  difficult  to  trace ;  family  ties  are 
not  respected,  jealousies  are  aroused,  malignant  pas- 
sions often  excited,  and  the  active  and  combined  in- 
fluences of  husband  and  wife  ignored.  The  Koran 
permits  the  Mohammedan  to  have  four  wives,  and  if 
a  noble  he  is  permitted  to  add  as  many  consorts  as  he 

34 


THE  PEOPLES. 

likes.  The  peasants  and  poorer  people  have  gener- 
ally, in  a  fashion,  escaped  these  pernicious  influences, 
and  as  a  rule  confine  themselves  to  one  wife  at  a  time, 
or  at  most,  to  two,  compromising  for  their  moderation 
by  frequent  change." 

Position  of  Women. — The  women  of  Java  have 
more  freedom  than  most  other  women  of  the  Orient. 
Seclusion  of  woman  is  almost  unknown  in  the  island. 

Dress  of  the  Dutch. — A  somewhat  extreme  and 
acid  description  from  Miss  Scidmore 's  pen  may,  per- 
haps, despite  its  exaggeration,  give  the  reader  an  idea 
of  the  mode  of  dresis  in  vogue  in  Java.  We  quote: 
'*We  had  seen  some  queer  things  on  the  streets — 
^^x>men  lolling  barefooted  and  in  startling  dishabille  in 
splendid  equipages — but  concluded  them  to  be  serv- 
ants or  half-castes;  but  there  in  the  hotel  was  an  un- 
dress parade  that  beggars  description,  and  was  as 
astounding  on  the  last  day  as  on  the  first  day  in  the 
country.  Woman's  vanity  and  man's  conventional 
ideas  evidently  wilt  at  the  line,  and  no  formalities 
pass  the  equator,  when  distinguished  citizens  and  offi- 
cials can  roam  and  lounge  about  hotel  courts  in  pa- 
jamas and  bath  slippers,  and  bare-ankled  women  clad 
only  in  the  native  sarong,  or  skirt,  and  with  a  white 
dressing  jacket,  go  unconcernedly  about  their  affairs 
in  streets  and  public  places  until  afternoon.  It  is  a 
dishabille  beyond  all  burlesque  pantomime,  and  only 
shipwreck  on  a  desert  island  would  seem  sufficient 
excuse  for  woman  being  seen  in  such  an  ungraceful, 
imbecoming  attire — an  undress  that  reveals  ever>^  de- 
fect while  concealing  beauty,  that  no  loveliness  can 

35 


JAVA  AND  ITS  CHALLENGE. 

overcome,  and  that  has  neither  oolor  nor  grace  nor 
picturesqueness  to  recommend  it." 

Of  the  Natives. — Mr.  Higginson  gives  us  this  de- 
scription of  the  native  dress:  "The  women  never 
cover  their  hands,  and  wear  their  hair  combed  straight 
back  from  their  foreheads  and  done  up  in  a  tight  knot 
at  the  back  of  the  head,  which  is  adorned  by  sticking 
through  it  long  gold  or  silver  pins,  ornamented  with 
precious  stones,  if  the  owner  of  the  head  can  afford 
them.  The  men  allow  their  hair  to  grow  long  and 
twist  it  into  a  flat  coil  on  the  top  of  the  head,  secure 
it  with  a  comb  and  cover  it  with  a  handkerchief. 
Both  sexes  use  perfumes  and  dress  the  hair  with  co- 
eoanut  oil.  The  peasants  when  at  work  in  the  field 
usually  have  nothing  on  but  the  hip  cloth  and  chapeng, 
a  peculiarly  shaped,  broad,  flat  hat  of  plaited  bamboo 
placed  on  the  top  of  the  handkerchief.  The  court 
costume  and  war  dress  are  both  elaborate  and  expen- 
sive affairs.  On  all  occasions  and  in  all  conditions 
the  Javanese  wear  a  belt,  with  the  kris  or  short  dagger 
stuck  under  it  on  the  right  side  behind.  They  are 
all  fond  of  jewelry  and  perfumery  and  display  a  pro- 
fusion of  finger-rings,  studs,  earrings,  diamond-headed 
pins,  necklaces,  and  bracelets;  children  wear  armlets 
and  anklets  of  silver  or  gold." 

The  Sarong. — ' '  The  sarong,  or  skirt,  worn  by  men 
and  women  alike,  is  a  strip  of  cotton  two  yards  long 
and  one  yard  deep,  which  is  drawn  tightly  about  the 
hips,  the  fullness  gathered  in  front,  and  by  an  adroit 
twist  made  so  firm  that  a  belt  is  not  necessary  to 
native  wearers.     The  sarong  is  always  one  panel  de- 

36 


THE  PEOPLES. 

sign,  which  is  worn  at  the  front  or  side,  and  the  rest 
of  the  surface  is  covered  with  the  intricate  ornaments 
in  which  native  fancy  runs  riot.  There  are  geometri- 
cal and  line  combinations,  in  which  appear  the  swas- 
tika and  the  curious  latticings  of  Central  Asia ;  others 
are  as  bold  and  natural  as  anything  Japanese;  and 
in  others  the  palm  leaves  and  quaint  animal  forms  of 
India  and  Persia  attest  the  rival  art  influence  that  has 
swept  over  these  refined,  adaptive,  assimilative  people. 
One  favorite  serpentine  pattern  running  in  diagonal 
lines  does  not  need  explanation  in  this  land  of  gigantic 
worms  and  writhing  crawlers,  nor  that  other  pattern 
where  centipedes  and  insect  forms  cover  the  ground; 
nor  that  where  the  fronds  of  cocoa-palm  wave,  and 
ithe  strange  shapes  of  mangos,  jacks,  or  Nagka,  and 
breadfruits  are  interwoven.  The  deer  and  tapir,  and 
the  hunting  scene  patterns  are  reserved  for  native 
royalty's  exclusive  wear." 

Making  the  Sarong. — "In  villages  and  wayside 
cottages  we  afterwards  watched  men  and  women  paint- 
ing these  cloths,  tracing  a  first  outline  in  a  rich  bro\\Ti 
waxy  dye,  which  is  the  foundation  and  dominant  color 
in  all  these  batteks.  The  parts  which  are  to  be  left 
white  are  covered  with  wax  and  the  cloth  is  dipped  in 
or  brushed  over  with  the  dye.  This  resist,  or  mordant, 
must  be  applied  for  each  color,  and  the  wax  after- 
wards steamed  out  in  hot  water,  so  that  a  sarong  goes 
through  many  processes  and  handlings,  and  is  often 
the  work  of  weeks.  The  dyes  are  applied  hot  through 
a  little  tin  funnel  of  an  implement  tapering  down  to 
a  thin  point,  w^hich  is  used  like  a  painter's  brush,  but 

37 


JAVA  AND  ITS  CHALLENGE. 

will  give  the  fine  line  and  dot  work  of  a  pen-and-ink 
drawing. ' ' 

Value. — "The  sarong's  value  depends  upon  the 
fineness  of  the  drawing,  the  elaborateness  of  the  de- 
sign, and  the  number  of  oolors  employed.  Beginning 
as  low  as  one  dollar,  these  brilliant  cottons,  or  hand- 
painted  calico  sarongs,  increase  in  price  to  even  twenty 
or  thirty  dollars.  The  Dutch  ladies  vie  with  one 
another  in  their  sarongs  as  much  as  native  women, 
and  their  dishabille  dress  of  the  early  hours  has  not 
always  economy  to  recommend  it." 

A  Typical  Dutch  Day  in  Batavia. — ''It  iis  usual 
to  rise  with  the  sun,  which  shoots  suddenly  above  the 
horizon  at  about  six  o  'clock  the  year  round,  replacing 
in  a  few  minutes  the  soft  darlmess  with  a  brilliant 
and  penetrating  light.  As  the  dwellings  have  but  one 
story,  on  account  of  earthquakes,  the  bedrooms  are  on 
the  ground  floor,  with  immediate  access  to  the  veranda, 
to  which  the  newly  arisen  at  once  proceeds  to  drink 
coffee,  tea,  or  chocolate  and  eat  a  biscuit.  After  this 
he  resorts  to  the  bath,  generally  a  large  room  in  the 
rear,  where  a  refreshing  plimge  or  douche,  or  perhaps 
the  cool  mountain  water  thrown  over  the  head,  in  the 
Eastern  fashion,  temporarily  dispels  the  climatic  lan- 
guor and  reinvigorates  him.  The  bath  over,  the 
Dutchman  takes  a  stroll  in  his  pajamas,  carelessly  puf- 
fing, meanwhile,  a  fragrant  cigar;  the  Englishman 
so'metimes  takes  a  ride  on  horseback,  both  return  to 
dress  and  partake  of  a  nine  o'clock  breakfast,  which 
is  served  in  a  broad  cool  hall,  and  is  similar  to  the 

38 


THE  PEOPLES. 

same  meal  in  America  or  England,  with  the  addition 
of  an  abundance  of  litscious  fruits.  After  breakfast 
the  gentlemen  of  the  family  are  driven  in  town  in  their 
carriages;  and  the  ladies,  in  native  dress,  with  hair 
hanging  loose  down  their  backs,  spend  the  morning 
reclining  on  the  sofas  in  the  shade  of  the  verandas, 
gossiping,  reading,  or  receiving  early  calls  from 
friends  of  their  own  sex  who  come  in  closed  carriages, 
in  undress  like  themselves.  At  one  o'clock  the  midday 
meal  (tiffin)  is  served.  This  is  the  time  when  the 
Eastern  cooks  astonish  the  foreigner  with  the  nujmiber 
of  their  highly-seasoned  preparations,  which  are  eaten 
with  the  one  standing  dish  of  rice  and  curry,  to  which 
are  added  salted  ducks '  eggs,  meat,  vegetables,  fruits, 
wine,  and  coffee.  When  this  abundant  meal  has  been 
duly  honored  the  Eastern  household,  from  mistress  to 
maid,  and  butler  to  scullion,  retires  to  refresh  itself 
by  passing  two  hours  or  more  during  the  hottest  part 
of  the  day  in  sleep.  At  four  o'clock  the  house  springs 
into  life  again,  tea  is  served,  as  in  the  early  morning, 
a  second  both  is  enjoyed,  succeeded  by  an  elaborate 
toilet,  next  comes  an  airing  without  hat  or  bonnet,  in 
splendid  open  equipages,  attended  by  numerous  dark- 
skinned  servants.  This  airing  is  usually  taken  round 
the  Koningsplein  and  to  the  Waterloo  plain.  The  lat- 
ter is  a  large  square  where  the  military  band  plays 
every  Sunday  afternoon.  The  music  draws  a  large 
concourse  of  people  from  the  town  as  well  as  natives 
from  the  neighboring  villages.  About  six  o'clock  the 
sun  drops  behind  the  western  mountain  ridges  and 

39 


JAVA  AND  ITS  CHALLENGE. 

immediately  it  is  dark.  The  vehicles,  with  their  chat- 
tering occupants,  gradually  disperse  to  whirl  home- 
ward to  a  somewhat  elaborate  eight  o'clock  dinner. 
In  the  evening  visits  are  made  or  received,  cluhs  and 
receptions  are  attended,  the  opera  or  theater  is  occa- 
sionally resorted  to,  and  Batavia  is  alive  with  activity 
and  animation.  By  twelve  and  one  o'clock  the  city 
has  sunk  into  slumber,  to  awaken  again  the  next  morn- 
ing and  take  up  with  little  variation  the  life  of  the 
previous  day.  The  Dutch  officials  entertain  very  lav- 
ishly among  themselves.  There  is  nothing  cosmopoli- 
tan about  society  in  Java." 

Chinese. — In  this  part  the  Chinese  have  practi- 
cally no  social  recognition.  This  is  slowly  changing. 
'  *  Chinese  conservatism  yields  first  in  costume  and  so- 
cial manners;  the  pigtail  sinks  to  a  mere  symbolic 
wisp,  and  the  well-to-do  Batavian  Chinese  dress  fault- 
lessly after  the  London  model,  wears  spotless  duck 
coat  and  trousers,  patent-leather  shoes,  and  in-top  or 
derby  hat,  sits  complacently  in  a  handsome  victoria 
drawn  by  imported  horses,  with  liveried  Javanese  on 
the  box.  The  rich  Chinese  live  in  beautiful  villas,  in 
gorgeously  decorated  houses  built  on  ideal  tropical 
lines.  They  load  their  Malay  wives  with  diamonds 
and  jewels,  and  spend  money  liberally  for  the  educa- 
tion of  their  children." 

Schools. — ^Formerly  the  Dutch  made  no  provision 
for  the  education  of  the  peoples  of  Java.  They  were 
forbidden  to  study  the  Dutch  language.  But  now 
schools  are  maintained  by  the  government  for  the  na- 

40 


THE  PEOPLES. 

tives.  The  reaching  out  for  Western  learning  by  the 
people  of  Asia  is  now  seen  in  this  conservative  island. 
Here  a  new  educational  movement  has  taken  hold  of 
the  Javanese.  It  is  called  ''Budi  Utomo"  and  has 
a  large  following.  Urgent  calls  are  being  made  for 
teachers.  A  society  among  the  Chinese,  known  as 
''The  Tiong  Hoa  Hwe  Koan,"  the  object  of  which 
is  to  promote  education  and  patriotism,  has  petitioned 
our  mission  to  secure  teachers  for  the  English  depart- 
ments of  their  ''Hwe  Koan"  schools  in  several  of  the 
cities  of  Java.  The  society  agrees  to  pay  the  salaries, 
and  have  further  requested  the  missionary  to  act  as 
inspector  of  their  schools. 

Houses. — ' '  The  hut  or  cottage  of  the  Javanese  is 
very  simple  in  construction  and  costs  but  little. 
Twelve  guilders,  equal  to  five  dollars,  will  build  what 
the  native  considers  a  most  respectable  and  comfort- 
able bamboo  hut.  Twenty-five  or  thirty  guilders  will 
procure  him  a  cottage  containing  two  or  perhaps 
three  rooms,  and  ornamented  with  a  veranda.  When 
he  becomes  tired  of  his  surroundings,  or  prefers  a 
more  eligible  location  within  easy  distance,  he  calls 
in  two  or  three  friends,  and  moves  his  domicile  to  the 
more  desirable  quarter.  The  walls  and  inside  par- 
titions of  his  house  are  made  of  plaited  strips  of  flat- 
tened bamboo,  hung  or  nailed  on  a  wooden  frame- 
work, which  is  roofed  with  attap  or  plain  thatch.  The 
houses  are  generally  without  windows,  sufficient  light 
being  admitted  through  the  door  and  the  interstices 
between  the  plaited  strips  of  bamboo.    Where  people 

41 


JAVA  AND  ITS  CHALLENGE. 

pass  all  the  time  on  the  veranda  or  in  the  open  air, 
and  the  one  desire  is  to  keep  their  dwellings  dark  and 
cool  for  sleep  or  retirement,  windows  are  superfluous. 

' '  The  dwelling  described  is  occupied  by  the  lower 
classes.  The  natives  sleep  on  springy  bamboo  benches 
about  a  foot  high  and  six  or  eight  feet  square,  called 
the  'bali-bali.'  On  these  primitive  bedsteads  they 
spread  the  universal  mats  and  pillows  and  have  cool 
and  pleasant  sleeping  couches.  The  houses  of  the 
village  chiefs  and  petty  office-holders  cost  much  .miore 
than  the  hut  or  cottage  of  the  peasant,  and  are  recog- 
nized by  their  increased  size  and  the  attap  with  eight 
slopes.  The  largest  and  best  dwellings  are  those  of 
the  nobles.  They  are  large  and  commodious,  built  of 
wood  or  stone  as  the  owner  desires,  and  are  distin- 
guished by  the  two  spreading  waringen  trees,  indi- 
cating nobility,  which  are  always  kept  growing  on  the 
green  in  front.  The  house  of  the  noble  stands  alone, 
while  the  cottages  of  the  peasants  are  in  groups  and 
generally  quite  concealed  in  masses  of  luxuriant  fo- 
liage, surrounded  by  fences  of  bamboo,  within  which 
each  cottage  is  encircled  by  its  own  little  enclosure  of 
banana  and  cocoa-palm.  The  Japanese  princes  and 
nobles  dwell  in  handsome  palaces,  which  are  beautified 
with  appropriate  grounds." 

Pursuits. — The  masses  of  the  people  of  Java  live 
by  agriculture.  With  the  bountiful  gifts  showered 
upon  Java  by  nature  there  is  little  need  for  the  native 
to  apply  himself  to  anything  but  the  tilling  of  the 
soil  in  order  to  have  all  his  needs  supplied.     "He 

42 


THE  PEOPLES. 

neither  makes  shawls,  silks,  gloves,  nor  beautiful  china, 
though  he  has  the  materials  for  each.  In  his  simple 
bamboo  cottage  he  would  not  know  what  to  do  with 
such  superfluities,  therefore  they  do  not  interest  him. 
He  is  familiar  with  stonecutting  and  brickmaking  be- 
cause he  builds  the  dwellings  of  the  nobles,  foreign 
merchants,  and  rich  Chinese  with  these  materials.  He 
understands  perfectly  how  to  make  the  thatch  for  his 
roof,  mats  for  his  bed,  and  cotton  for  his  sarongs. 
He  spins  his  yam  and  weaves  his  cloth  without  a  loom, 
and  paints  and  dyes  the  materials  for  his  sarongs 
with  the  most  beautiful  colors."  Some  follow  the 
trades  of  tanner,  tinsmith,  stonecutter,  ironsmith,  car- 
penter, tailor,  painter,  and  find  constant  work  to  em- 
ploy them.  Along  the  coast  the  curing  and  packing 
of  fish  employ  many  of  the  natives. 

Daily  M^vrket. — The  daily  market,  or  passar,  is 
a  panorama  of  life  that  one  never  forgets.  A  bunch  of 
bananas,  a  basket  of  stemmed  rice  and  a  leaf  full  of 
betel  preparations  comprise  the  necessaries  and  luxu- 
ries of  daily  living.  These  may  all  be  secured  at  the 
passar.  With  <the  rice  may  go  many  peppers  and  cur- 
ried messes  of  ground  cocoanut,  which  one  sees  made 
and  offered  for  sale  in  small  dabs  laid  on  bits  of  ba- 
nana leaf — the  wrapping-paper  of  the  tropics.  Pinned 
with  a  cactus  thorn  a  bit  of  leaf  makes  a  primitive 
bag,  bowl,  or  cup,  and  a  slip  of  it  serves  as  a  sylvan 
spoon.  All  classes  chew  the  betel  or  cocoanut,  bits  of 
which,  wrapped  in  betel  leaf  with  lime,  furnish  cheer 
and  stimulant,   dye  the   mouth,   and  keep   the  lips 

43 


JAVA  AND  ITS  CHALLENGE. 

streaming  with  crimson  juice."  The  town  tailor  has 
his  abode  in  the  daily  passar,  and  seated  in  front  of 
his  American  hand-machine  will  sew  up  a  sarong  seam 
while  the  customer  waits. 

Semi- WEEKLY  Market. — *'It  is  the  semi-weekly, 
early  morning,  outdoor  market  of  chattering  country 
folk  that  most  delights  and  diverts  the  stranger.  The 
lines  of  vendors  strung  along  the  shady  street  and 
grouped  under  palm-thatched  umbrellas  in  the  open 
provide  horticultural  and  floral  exhibits  of  the  great- 
est interest,  and  afford  the  most  picturesque  scenes 
of  native  life.  There  were  double  panoramas  and 
stages  of  living  pictures  along  each  path  in  the  passar 
encampment  that  grew  like  magic.  The  glowing  colors 
of  the  fruit,  the  flower,  and  the  pepper  markets,  the 
bright  sarongs  and  turbans,  and  above  all,  the  cheerful 
chatter  were  quite  inspiring.  We  saw  everywhere 
fruits — we  were  distracted  with  the  wide  choice  of- 
fered. A  long  row  of  country  tailors,  thirty  or  forty 
of  them  in  a  line,  sat  like  so  many  sparrows  around 
the  edges  of  the  passar  in  the  comforting  shades  of 
the  kanari-trees.  All  were  spectacled  like  owls,  and 
sat  cross-legged  before  their  sewing-machines.  The 
customers  brought  their  cloth,  the  tailors  measured 
them  with  their  eye,  and  in  no  time  at  all  the  machines 
were  humming  up  and  down  the  seams  of  the  jackets 
that  needed  no  fitting  nor  trying  on,  and  were  made 
while  the  candidates  sat  and  smoked  and  chatted  with 
the  sartorial  artists.  '' 

Thirty-two  Millions. — The  Javanese,  the  Malay, 
44 


THE  PEOPLES. 

the  Sundanese,  the  Chinese,  and  the  others  of  the 
thirty-two  millions  of  people  on  this  charming  tropical 
island  have  been  living  their  lives  in  their  own  comer 
and  little  known  to  the  peoples  of  the  West.  Now 
Java  is  coming  before  us  in  all  its  beauty  of  place 
and  charm  of  people.  Have  we  of  the  West  anything 
to  give  these  peoples  that  will  better  fit  them  for  the 
place  they  must  fill  in  the  world? 


45 


CHAPTER  III. 
THE  RELIGIONS. 

Mohammedanism  is  the  established  faith  of  the 
isle  of  Java.  At  the  time  of  the  Mohammedan  inva- 
sion and  the  overthrow  of  the  Hindu  empire  of  Mod- 
jopahit  in  the  fifteenth  century  this  religion  of  the 
Prophet  Mohammed  swept  dow^n  upon  the  millions 
of  these  island  peoples.  It  is  said,  however,  that  the 
Javanese  are  the  least  bigoted  of  the  followers  of  the 
Prophet  and  differ  from  the  Mohammedans  in  the 
other  parts  of  the  world.  Mohammedan  missionaries 
are  constantly  arriving  in  Java  and  pushing  their  v^ay 
into  the  interior  villages  and  cities  and  teaching  the 
tenets  of  their  faith. 

Stronghold. — About  one-sixth  of  the  Moham- 
medan world  is  grouped  upon  this  island,  and  there- 
fore the  problem  of  the  missionary  is  of  great  magni- 
tude. The  Mohammedan  problem  is  always  that  of 
overcoming  ignorance,  that  dense  ignorance  which  is 
always  to  be  found  in  a  Mohammedan  land,  immo- 
rality of  the  grossest  kind,  superstitious  fatalism,  and 
fanaticism. 

The  Strength  of  Mohammedanism. — The  strength 
of  Mohammedanism  lies  in  the  spirit  of  brotherhood 
that  permeates  its  followers.     A  Moslem  of  any  race 

46 


THE  RELIGIONS. 

will  salute  a  Moslem  of  any  other  race  as  his  brother. 
The  sacred  language  in  which  prayer  is  offered  and 
in  which  they  read  the  Koran  is  the  same  among  them 
all.  At  the  time  of  prayer  all  eyes  turn  in  the  same 
direction,  towards  Mecca.  The  little  black  stone 
dropped  from  heaven,  called  the  Kaaba,  is  the  object 
of  deep  veneration.  Yearly  tens  of  thousands  of  all 
races  take  the  pilgrimage  to  Mecca  to  touch  this  sacred 
stone.  These  likenesses  are  bonds  of  union  among  all 
Moslems,  whether  from  Northern  Africa,  Southern 
Asia,  or  ithe  islands  of  the  sea. 

The  Ramazan. — "Throughout  the  Moslem  world 
is  held  every  year  the  fast  of  Ramazan.  This  fast 
continues  for  one  month.  During  the  time  no  Moham- 
medan eats  any  food  nor  even  drinks  water  till  after 
sundo\\'n.  So  strict  are  they  in  this  regard  that  they 
do  not  even  swallow  spittle  during  the  day.  After 
6undo^^^l  men  eat  but  sparingly,  and  then  assemble 
in  large  groups  to  hear  the  reading  of  the  Koran. 
This  community  of  physical  deprivation  draws  fthe 
whole  Mohammedan  world  together  to  a  degree  that 
can  scarcely  be  believed  unless  one  has  seen  the 
process  at  work.  It  is  a  law  that  any  belief  for  which 
we  suffer  takes  a  firmer  grip  upon  the  mind.  This 
yearly  fast  operates  among  the  Malays  as  a  race-wide 
revival  service,  and  the  resul-t  is  it  strengthens  the 
cords  that  tie  them  to  Islam.  After  the  'Ramazan' 
is  over  the  whole  community  blossoms  out  in  new 
clothes;  the  men  grow  resplendent  in  most  gorgeous 
colors;  the  women  and  children  appear  covered  with 
all  the  jewelry  and  finery  that  the  family  purse  can 

47 


JAVA  AND  ITS  CHALLENGE. 

stand;  the  whole  community  goes  on  a  junket,  visit- 
ing from  house  to  house  and  preening  itself  in  the 
sun  on  the  street  comers,  all  tending  to  still  more 
closely  identify  life  at  large  with  the  Mohammedan 
faith.  It  would  be  a  brave  family,  indeed,  that  would 
dare  do  other  than  the  rest  are  doing,  either  during 
the  'Ramazan'  or  in  the  festal  days  that  immediately 
follow.  Particularly  do  the  fasting  and  feasting  im- 
press childhood.  All  Eastern  races  are  much  under 
the  power  of  outward  ritual  and  ceremony.  It  can 
be  easily  seen,  therefore,  that  so  marked  an  exercise 
as  that  of  the  'Ramazan'  has  immense  power  for  im- 
pressing the  public  mind. ' ' 

Pilgrimages  to  Mecca. — ' 'Another  great  factor  in 
holding  the  people  to  Islam  is  the  extraordinary  re- 
spect shown  to  pilgrims  on  their  return  from  a  visit 
to  the  sacred  city  of  Mecca,  where  Mohammed  was 
bom,  and  where  still  is  to  be  found  the  Kaaba,  the 
black  stone  that  fell,  it  is  said,  from  heaven,  and  is 
now  built  into  the  sacred  mosque  at  Mecca.  On  their 
return  from  this  pilgrimage  both  men  and  women 
wear  a  green  cloth,  and  the  sight  of  a  green  turban 
or  a  green  scarf  around  the  neck  is  a  signal  for 
marked  obeisance  made  to  the  wearer.  The  desire  to 
become  a  Hadji  is  deep  in  every  Malay,  for  here  is 
the  ishort  cut  to  social  honor  and  religious  ^exaltation. 
With  the  utmost  economy,  years  of  deprivation  are 
spent  to  secure  the  money  for  this  coveted  visit. 
Yearly  thousands  of  pilgrims  may  be  found  on  the 
crowded  ships  making  their  way  to  Jiddah.  And 
from  thence,  risking  cholera  and  smallpox,  and  all 

48 


THE  RELIGIONS. 

the  other  diseases  which  are  so  often  disseminated  in 
these  unsanitary  crowds,  the  ambitious  pilgrim  finds 
his  way  to  the  birthplace  and  to  the  tomb  of  the 
prophet,  and  then  returning,  is  an  ardent  supporter 
of  the  faith.  The  overthrow  of  the  system  would  mean 
the  loss  of  personal  privilege  and  social  honor.  Each 
one  of  these  pilgrims  has  "vested  rights"  in  Islam 
as  an  institution,  and  can,  therefore,  be  depended  upon 
to  eagerly  and  even  fiercely  defend  the  faith.  Under 
the  Dutch  flag  it  was  long  the  policy  of  government 
officials  to  encourage  the  annual  pilgrimage  to  Mecca. 
It  was  somehow  thought  to  please  the  Mohammedan 
people  would  help  the  Dutch  rule.  But  in  these  later 
days  it  is  more  intelligently  perceived  that  the  Hadji 
is  tlie  breeder  of  discontent,  and  incidentally  often  the 
importer  of  disease.  Besides  a  pilgrim's  new  honors 
usually  imfit  him  for  plain  every-day  work,  and  a 
Hadji  often  becomes  a  social  parasite  and  loses  the 
thrift  and  aptness  for  his  daily  tasks  which  char- 
acterized him  before  he  saw  Mecca.  For  all  these 
reasons  it  is  becoming  more  and  more  difficult  to  secure 
the  government  consent  and  help  in  the  arrangements 
for  the  pilgrim 's  annual  exodus. ' '  Thousands  of  these 
ardent  followers  of  ]\Iohammed  go  every  year  from 
Java  to  ]\Iecca,  and  thus  tens  of  thousands  of  homes 
are  closed  to  the  entrance  of  the  missionary  of  the 
Cross. 

Code  of  Mor.vls. — The  high  priests  of  the  ]\Ioham- 
medan  faith  are  vested  with  some  government  power 
of  administration  in  the  district  where  they  reside. 
They  are  also  expected  to  give  religious  instruction 

4  49 


JAVA  AND  ITS  CHALLENGE. 

*'with  exhortations  to  duty  by  precept  and  fable," 
some  of  which  are  highly  instructive  and  impressive, 
as  we  perceive  by  the  following  examples,  copied  from 
their  code  of  morals: 

''A  man  who  does  evil  to  his  companions,  acts 
against  the  sacred  writings  and  the  lessons  of  his  in- 
structor; he  can  never  enjoy  prosperity,  but  will  meet 
with  misfortune  in  all  his  proceedings.  Such  a  man 
is  like  a  piece  of  porcelain,  which,  when  it  falls  to  the 
ground,  breaks  into  many  pieces  and  can  never  be  ren- 
dered perfect." 

''The  forest  and  the  tiger  lived  together  in  close 
friendship,  so  that  no  one  could  approach  the  forest, 
for  the  tiger  was  always  in  the  way,  nor  the  tiger, 
for  the  forest  always  afforded  him  shelter.  Thus  they 
both  remained  undisturbed,  on  account  of  the  mutual 
(security  they  afforded  each  other.  But  when  the  tiger 
abandoned  the  forest  and  roamed  abroad,  the  people, 
seeing  that  the  tiger  had  quitted  it,  immediately  cut 
do\^Ti  the  forest  and  converted  it  into  plantations.  The 
tiger,  in  the  meantime,  taking  shelter  in  a  village,  was 
seen  by  the  people,  who  soon  found  means  to  kill  him. 
In  this  manner,  both  parties,  by  abandoning  their 
mutual  duties  to  each  other,  were  lost. ' ' 

' '  These  are  qualities  necessary  to  constitute  a  good 
house-wife :  she  must  be  well  made  and  well  mannered, 
gentle,  industrious,  rich,  liberal,  charming,  of  good 
birth,  upright  and  humble.  A  stingy,  curious,  dirty, 
foul-mouthed,  vulgar,  false,  intriguing,  lazy,  or  stupid 
woman  is  not  lonly  entirely  unfit  for  a  house-wife,  but 
will  never  be  beloved  by  a  husband." 

50 


If,  v^^-^^/'"     -■     ■'   ' 

i-F"li»- 

'1: 
:  1 

^^K^^'  "^'^ilK''  .-4^ 

1     { 

■F«*-^:Sr'3l| 

1 

-  ^ 

4 

1  j 

»                                 ft;      '>-    , 

1       '^':.-         '■■      ^  s:^; 

r^i^':  :'           "' 

THE  RELIGIONS. 

Mosques. — Mosques  are  to  be  found  all  over  the 
island.  Should  the  Christian  enter,  he  must  do  so 
with  unshod  feet.  The  mosques  are  plain  in  design, 
sometimes  square,  sometimes  octagonal,  having  two  or 
more  roofs,  one  above  the  other.  Low  round  domes 
surmount  the  buildings.  The  interior  of  the  struc- 
tures are  without  ornamentation.  The  approach  to  the 
mosques  is  usually  by  steps  or  inclined  walk  up  a 
beautiful  terrace.  Large  tanks  of  pure  water  are 
provided  where  the  Moslem  may  bathe  before  entering 
the  temple.  The  IMohammedan  Sabbath  is  on  our 
Friday.  There  is  a  daily  service  in  the  mosque  and 
calls  to  prayer  at  sunrise  and  at  sunset.  The  worship- 
ers kneel  on  small  mats,  and  with  faces  turned  toward 
Mecca,  repeat  the  prayers  from  the  Koran. 

Belief. — Although  the  Javanese  are  ^lohammed- 
ans,  they  are  as  ignorant  and  as  superstitious  as  any 
heathen  people,  in  many  instances  more  so.  Heathen- 
ism degrades  but  it  does  not  fetter  a  people  as  Islam 
does.  The  Mohammedan  believes  that  there  is  but 
one  God  and  that  Mohammed  was  the  last  and  great- 
est prophet.  Such  belief  denies  the  Holy  Spirit,  the 
divinity  of  Christ  and  His  atonement.  INIohammed 
is  greatest  of  all  prophets,  his  teaching  should  take 
the  place  of  all  other  teachings.  The  following  are 
some  of  these  teachings : 

The  Mohammedan  is  admonished  to  abstain  from 
pK)rk,  deceit,  adultery,  idolatry,  and  usury. 

Quoting  from  a  leaflet  by  ^Ir.  Buchanan  on  the 
Malay,  we  read :  "  If  a  man,  even  a  priest,  breaks  one 
of  these  commands,  ia  holeh  taubat  dan  di-ma^af-kan 

51 


JAVA  AND  ITS  CHALLENGE. 

(lie  may  repent  and  be  pardoned)  by  God  and  by 
man,  since  it  is  only  a  silap  (a  slip,  an  error,  a  fault), 
but  if  he  does  it  the  second  time  no  one  holeh  ma'af- 
kan  (will  forgive)  nor  is  there  anywhere  tauhatan 
(repentance).  He  has  done  it  sengaja  (willfully),  for 
has  he  not  once  erred  and  been  forgiven;  surely  it  is 
willful.  Islam  Imows  no  Redeemer.  How  hopeless 
such  severity  with  regard  to  the  things  of  the  heavenly 
kingdom  on  the  part  of  our  Heavenly  Father  would 
leave  the  Christian.  Moreover,  Islam  knows  no  right 
or  wrong;  to  the  Moslem  all  things  are  hallal  (al- 
lowed) or  harem  (disallowed).  To  commit  adultery 
and  to  eat  pork  go  in  the  same  category,  and  for  the 
same  reason  the  prophet  forbade  them.  Mrs.  Buch- 
anan once  asked  some  Mohammedan  women  why  they 
fasted,  as  Islam  took  practically  no  cognizance  of 
women.  Their  answer  was,  'The  prophet  com- 
manded it.'  " 

A  Foothold. — ' '  Though  the  story  of  the  Cross  has 
so  lately  been  taken  to  them,  already  a  foothold  has 
been  gained  among  these  Malays  of  Mohammedan  be- 
lief. A  large  door  is  opening  in  Java,  and  it  is  ex- 
pected that  if  the  Church  is  faithful  to  her  present 
privilege  and  meets  the  situation  as  it  now  presents 
itself,  that  it  will  not  be  long  until  there  is  a  mass 
movement  among  the  Mohammedans  of  Java  toward 
Christianity.  That  Islam  does  not  mean  in  Java  what 
it  does  in  Arabia  and  Turkey  is  due  to  the  fact  that 
the  spirit  of  the  former  religion  which  once  domi- 
nated Java  has  left  its  impress  yet  upon  the  peoples 
even  after  these  many  years.     Two  young  men,  con- 

52 


THE  RELIGIONS. 

verts  from  Lslam,  are  studying  in  the  Jean  Hamilton 
School  at  Singapore,  preparing  to  return  to  Java  and 
preach  the  imsearchable  riches  of  Christ  among  their 
former  ]\Iohammedan  friends  and  neighbors.  There 
is  now  being  baptized  one  Mohammedan  a  week  in  this 
young  mission,  and  as  the  days  go  by  there  will  be 
greater  victories  to  report. 

Other  Religions. — "Before  the  introduction  of 
Mohammedanism,  Brahmanism,  Sivaism,  and  Bud- 
dhism had  many  followers  throughout  Java.  There 
is  abundant  proof  of  this  in  the  ruins  of  the  many 
costly  and  beautiful  temples  which  are  to  be  found 
in  all  parts  of  the  island.  The  early  culture  of  Java 
can  be  traced  to  India.  There  is  little  doubt  in  the 
minds  of  those  who  have  delved  deep  into  the  history 
of  the  isle  that  Hinduism  influenced  most  largely  the 
religious  life,  the  literature  and  the  language  of  Java 
prior  to  the  Mohammedanism  invasion.  Undoubtedly 
Brahma,  Vishnu,  and  Buddha  were  once  the  gods  of 
the  people,  and  the  discarded  temples  and  broken  and 
decayed  images  bear  mute  testimony  to  the  time  of 
their  supremacy.  The  Mohammedans,  naturally  su- 
perstitious, seemed  to  have  regarded  the  temples  as 
of  some  supernatural  construction  and  itook  no  care  to 
preserve  the  old  temples  of  a  faith  which  they  had  con- 
quered. For  the  most  part  these  ruins  have  been  hid- 
den by  the  luxuriant  growth  of  the  tropical  plants." 

''The  country  between  Djokjokarta  and  Soerakarta 
is  famous  for  its  renmant  of  ancient  edifices  and  relics 
of  Hindu  worship.  In  the  neighborhood  of  Bram- 
banan,  a  town  on  the  road  between  the  last  two  named 

53 


JAVA  AND  ITS  CHALLENGE. 

cities,  stand  the  extensive  ruins  of  an  ancient  temple, 
which  is  one  of  the  many  in  the  immediate  vicinity 
that  would  amply  repay  the  traveler's  attention.  Al- 
though the  walls,  some  twelve  feet  thick,  are  broken, 
the  massive  blocks  and  sculptured  figures  thrown 
down,  and  the  great  rooms  dismantled  and  filled  with 
rubbish,  enough  remain  to  show  the  magnitude  of  the 
temple,  the  size  of  its  doors,  the  character  of  its  apart- 
ments, the  number  of  its  figures,  and  the  superior 
execution  of  its  stone  lions  and  elephants.  The  giant 
figures  of  its  porters  in  crumbling  dress,  with  brace- 
lets, beads,  earrings,  plaited  hair,  waistbands,  and 
daggers  still  clearly  defined,  guard  the  doors.  Even 
the  expression  of  their  features  can  be  detected ;  they 
have  broad  heads,  wide,  full  foreheads,  short,  square 
chins,  round,  full  staring  eyes,  thick  lips,  and  open 
mouth,  revealing  large,  long  teeth,  the  whole  face 
wearing  a  mirthful  and  pleased  look.  The  walls  are 
composed  of  smooth  blocks  of  stone  put  together  with- 
out cement  or  mortar,  and  dislodged  in  many  places  by 
trees  having  forced  their  growth  between  them." 

''Within  a  short  distance  of  this  ruin  is  another, 
or  rather  a  group  of  ruins,  consisting  of  some  twenty 
or  more  separate  edifices,  each  furnishing  evidences 
of  having  been  a  temple.  The  rooms  are  spacious, 
the  buildings  apparently  having  been  large  and  lofty, 
with  terraces  and  niches  containing  lions  couchant, 
and  pilasters  supporting  bands  of  stone,  some  of  which 
are  carved  in  beautiful  running  designs  and  festoons, 
encircling  birds  with  wings  outspread.  In  one  in- 
stance a  string  of  monkeys  is  represented  in  a  wood, 

54 


THE  RELIGIONS. 

which  might  indicate  the  worship  of  Ilanuman,  the 
monkey  god.  In  every  case  the  sculptures  display 
beauty  and  fine  workmanship.  Some  of  the  stone 
blocks  are  immense  in  size,  and,  like  those  in  the  other 
temples,  shaped  with  perfect  precision,  and  put  to- 
gether without  cement  of  any  kind.  Lions,  elephants, 
and  the  lotus  flower  are  present  in  the  decorations.  A 
portion  of  the  god  Genesa  shows  that  he  was  also 
represented.  There  is  no  other  indication,  however, 
that  the  temple  was  devoted  to  the  mighty  son  of 
Siva." 

* '  North  of  the  town  of  Brambanan  is  another  clus- 
ter of  ancient  structures,  the  temple  Loro  Jongrong, 
which  is  the  Javanese  name  of  the  Hindu  god  Devi. 
This  temple  seems  to  consist  of  one  large  building, 
now  in  ruins,  connected  with  several  smaller  ones. 
At  the  entrance  is  an  image  of  Loro  Jongrong  in  good 
preservation,  and  her  buffalo,  still  smooth  and  pol- 
ished, lying  before  her.  Genesa  sits  on  a  polished 
throne  in  front  of  an  entrance  on  the  other  side,  the 
stones  of  the  intermediate  corner  being  covered  with 
beautiful  designs  of  running  flowers  and  foliage,  also 
small  human  figures  and  other  decorations  of  the 
same  kind,  producing  an  effect  wonderfully  rich  and 
striking.  The  god  is  in  full  dress  and  elaborately 
decorated ;  a  hooded  snake  is  wound  around  her  body." 

"Close  to  the  high  road  and  about  a  half  mile 
from  the  Loro  Jongrong  is  another  ancient  pile,  known 
as  the  Thousand  Temples,  beside  which  those  described 
sink  into  insignificance.  It  consists  of  two  hundred 
and  ninety -six  temples,  which  cover  a  space  said  to 

55 


JAVA  AND  ITS  CHALLENGE. 

measure  five  hundred  and  forty-five  by  five  hundred 
and  ten  feet.  The  buildingis  are  arranged  in  five  par- 
allelograms, one  within  the  other.  The  outer  square 
comprises  eighty-four  temples,  twenty-<two  on  each 
front  and  twenty  on  the  sides.  The  next  square  has 
seventy-six,  the  third  forty-four,  the  fifth  and  central 
twenty-eight.  The  temples  are  all  alike  in  size  and 
construction,  each  being  about  eleven  or  twelve  feet 
square  on  the  outside,  with  a  vestibule  and  door  open- 
ing into  a  small  square  room.  Opposite  the  door  is 
the  throne  of  the  idol  which  once  occupied  the  apart- 
ment. The  walls  of  each  temple  are  nearly  three  feet 
thick,  and  are  smooth  and  square  to  about  seven  feeit 
in  height,  when  they  begin  to  slope  into  a  pyramidal 
roof,  with  square  top,  covered  by  a  single  stone.  The 
whole  structure  forms  an  immense  pyramid,  each  par- 
allelogram receding  and  apparently  making  one  of 
five  gigantic  steps.  The  roofs  are  plain,  with  running 
bands  that  form  a  sort  of  crest  to  each  square  or  step. 
Two  huge  and  hideous  porters  guard  the  principal 
entrance  with  raised  clubs,  warning  away  unlicensed 
intruders.  Each  has  a  ferocious  mustache  and  long 
curling  hair,  with  chains  and  snakes  twisting  diago- 
nally over  his  body  and  shoulders  and  about  his  arms. 
Both  wear  earrings,  necklaces,  and  bracelets.  Streets 
or  spaces  about  twelve  feet  wide  run  around  the  square 
between,  the  rows  of  temples.  The  innermost  square 
was  the  great  temple  or  principal  shrine.  The  walls 
of  this  building  are  five  or  six  feet  thick  with  a  terrace 
surrounding  it,  reached  on  each  side  by  flights  of 
dilapidated  stone  steps.    Niches,  vestibules,  figures  of 

56 


THE  RELIGIONS. 

animals  and  gods  are  abundant  and  conspicuous  in 
each  temple,  the  gods  alone  numbering  fthirty-four 
hundred  and  seventy-eight.  All  are  light,  chaste,  and 
graceful,  exhibiting  many  superb  specimens  of  Hindu 
sculpture  and  architecture.  Each  single  building 
forms  a  small  pyramid.  They  are  all  in  a  more  or 
less  decayed  and  falling  condition,  and  some  are  down 
and  quite  concealed  in  the  dense  shrubbery.  A 
spreading  banyan  tree  has  helped  the  work  of  de- 
struction by  forcing  its  trimks  through  the  walls  and 
then  covering  them  with  its  branches. 

"The  holy  of  holies  is  in  the  interior  temple,  and  is 
reached  by  ascending  the  steps  to  a  superb  portal, 
which  gives  entrance  to  a  wide  passage  through  the 
walls,  which  are  "ten  feet  thick,  of  solid  blocks  of  gray 
stone  closely  joined  together  without  cement.  The 
inside  of  the  chamber  is  a  plain  square,  the  walls 
arising  some  forty  feet  before  assuming  a  pyramidal 
form,  with  overhanging  stones  sloping  to  the  apex 
of  the  roof,  where  a  small  opening  is  covered,  as  usual, 
with  one  broad  stone.  A  raised  platform,  probably 
the  throne  of  the  principal  divinity,  extends  across 
one  side  of  the  chamber,  but  there  is  nothing  to  indi^ 
cate  which  one  of  the  Hindu  gods  it  was  that  filled 
the  place  of  honor.  Although  the  inside  walls  of  this 
great  chamber  are  perfectly  plain,  the  exterior  walls 
are  decorated  with  a  profusion  of  ornamental  sculp- 
tures ;  but  there  are  no  niches  holding  images  or  any- 
thing emblematical,  as  in  the  smaller  temples,  each 
of  which  is  supplied  with  thirteen  niches  containing 
images  from  heathen  mythology.'* 

57 


JAVA  AND  ITS  CHALLENGE. 

BoRO-BoEDOER. — The  renowned  temple  ruins  at 
Boro-Boedoer  are  the  most  remarkable  of  the  many 
Hindu  antiquities  to  be  found  in  Java. 

' '  The  building  is  forty-six  feet  square,  and  twenty- 
sided,  wdth  the  zigzag  angles  which  are  a  feature  of 
so  many  Javanese  temples.  The  chamber  itself  is 
twenty-one  feet  square.  Much  of  the  temple  is  dam- 
aged and  many  of  its  decorations  have  disappeared, 
but  the  three  large  images  standing  against  the  inner 
wall  have  been  preserved  almost  intact.  In  the  cen- 
ter is  a  Buddha  figure,  eleven  feet  high,  the  simplicity 
of  which  stands  out  in  sharp  contrast  to  the  highly- 
decorated  Bodhisatwa  (sons  of  Buddha)  images  on 
either  side,  each  of  which  is  eight  feet  high.  The 
groups  of  images  in  high  relief  on  the  three  largest 
outer  walls  of  the  temple  deserve  much  notice." 

''The  temple  of  Boro-Boedoer,  begun  in  the  ninth 
century,  was  built  in  the  pure  Buddhist  style.  Dur- 
ing the  British  occupation  of  the  island  the  temple 
was  laid  bare,  all  but  the  base,  by  removing  the  layer 
of  earth  which  had  been  heaped  up  against  it,  possibly 
by  the  last  Buddha  w^orshipers  in  Java.  The  Boro- 
Boedoer  is  not  a  building  in  the  ordinary  sense,  and 
has  no  entrance.  It  is  the  top  of  a  hill  artificially 
lowered  and  encircled  with  galleries  built  by  human 
hands.  The  upper  portion  of  a  terrace  wall  is  still 
submerged  below  the  soil.  A  few  stray  images  have 
been  placed  upon  it.  This  terrace  is  a  star-shaped 
polygon  of  thirty-six  sides,  measuring  374  feet  in  di- 
ameter. Below  it  is  a  larger  and  square  terrace,  also 
entirely  underground,  while  above  it  is  another  of 

58 


THE  RELIGIONS. 

the  same  shape  as  the  middle  terrace^  from  which  it 
is  reached  by  stairways  of  seven  steps  each.  Some 
years  a^  it  was  discovered  that  these  three  terraces 
are  of  a  later  date  than  the  original  internal  struc- 
ture, which  is  of  a  slenderer  shape,  and  that  they  have 
been  constructed  in  order  to  support  the  latter  when 
it  began  to  show  signs  of  settlement.  The  base  of  the 
internal  structure  has  been  exposed  in  parts  in  order  to 
obtain  photographs  of  its  beautiful  bas-reliefs.  These 
had  been  covered  by  falling  earth  while  they  were  in 
process  of  completion  (some  of  them  are  unfinished), 
and  consequently  it  was  impassible  to  run  the  risk  of 
leaving  the  base  of  the  inner  structure  permanently  ex- 
posed. The  building  above  the  three  terraces  consists 
of  four  parapeted  galleries  erected  upon  the  internal 
walls  of  the  lower  gallery,  and  of  four  upper  terraces, 
of  which  the  three  highest  are  of  circular  shape.  The 
topmost  terrace  is  cro\Mied  by  a  large  eupola  having 
a  radius  of  thirty  and  one-half  feet.  Not  counting 
the  first  step,  nor  showing  above  ground,  the  Boro- 
Boedoer,  from  its  base  to  the  top  of  the  cupola,  ha-s 
a  height  of  about  ninety-seven  feet,  while  the  base  of 
the  hill  projects  about  fifty-five  feet  below  the  bot- 
tom step." 

^'Each  of  the  galleries  is  distinguished  by  a  pro- 
fusion of  architectural  detail  and  by  numerous  Bud- 
dha images.  Upon  the  parapets  are  rows  of  little 
shrines,  each  with  three  turrets,  in  the  frieze  of  which 
there  is  a  representation  of  Buddha  in  a  sitting  pos- 
ture. The  upper  terraces  are  respectively  adorned 
with  thirty-two,  twenty-four,  and  sixteen  open-work 

59 


JAVA  AND  ITS  CHALLENGE. 

cupolas  (dagobs),  each  o:^  which  also  con'tains  a 
Buddha  in  sitting  attitude.  The  topmost  cupola, 
when  first  discovered,  was  found  to  be  bricked  up  en- 
tirely. It  is  about  eleven  and  a  half  feet  high  and 
rests  upon  a  base  ten  and  a  half  feet  broad.  Formerly 
it  was  surmounted  by  a  pinnacle  over  (thirty  feet  high, 
but  only  a  small  portion  of  this  remains.  The  image 
within  this  cupola  has  been  partly  reduced  to  frag- 
ments ;  when  excavated  it  was  found  that  it  had  never 
been  entirely  finished.  When,  forty  years  ago, 
sketches  were  first  made  of  the  1,604  bas-reliefs,  about 
980  of  them  were  in  a  fair  state  of  preservation,  but 
since  that  time  many  of  them  have  worn  away  to  such 
an  extent  as  to  be  undistinguishable.  As  regards  the 
Buddhas  in  the  niches  and  dagobs,  originally  num- 
bering 505,  the  proportion  of  wastage  is  much  greater 
still." 

* '  In  the  bottom  gallery  there  is  below  every  Buddha 
an  identical  representation  of  a  man  in  a  sitting  at- 
titude, on  either  side  of  whom  are  groups  of  three 
figures  'each,  bearing  lotus  flowers  and  mosquito  fans. 
The  other  parapets  are  decorated  with  niches  contain- 
ing Buddha  statues,  and  on  the  inside  with  a  series 
of  sculptures  representing  various  incidents.  Among 
the  latter  the  following  are  of  particular  interest: 
representations  of  the  temple ;  apotheosis  of  Buddha 
worshippers,  a  monkey  caressing  a  buffalo,  a  monkey 
climbing  upon  the  back  of  a  buffalo,  a  monster  (Rax- 
asa)  worshiping  a  buffalo;  a  Naga  prince  and  his  con- 
sort seated  upon  a  stormy  sea  and  receiving  homage 
of  another  prince  with  his  consort  and  suite;  a  Naga 

60 


\^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^7^^^^^^^'                                              '^Sm 

^^P  "^  J 

Our  Missionariks — Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dexyes  and  Family. 

See  "page  9.i 


THE  RELIGIONS. 

prince  in  the  character  of  Buddha,  seated  in  a  desert 
and  receiving  the  homage  of  pilgrims;  another  Naga 
prince  and  his  consort  seated  upon  a  divan  and  re- 
ceiving the  homage  of  a  Brahmin;  a  prince  offering 
presents  to  ladies  of  the  nobility  and  others." 

' '  The  inner  wall  of  the  second  gallery  contains,  in 
the  upper  row,  bas-relief  representing  scenes  connected 
with  the  history  of  Buddha  Sakyamuni,  from  his  con- 
ception to  his  Nirvana.  The  pictures  in  the  lower  row 
represent  the  apotheosis  of  royal  personages.  Upon 
the  outer  wall  of  this  gallery  are  representations  of 
scenes  from  the  sacred  legends  of  previous  incarna- 
tions of  the  Buddha.  The  third  gallery  wall  contains 
180  bas-reliefs  showing  the  apotheosis  of  Buddha ;  the 
fourth,  in  eighty  different  scenes  depicts  the  rewards 
given  to  kings  who  have  been  Buddha  worshipers, 
while  the  fifth  gallery  contains  a  large  number  of  the 
images  and  of  two  kings,  probably  the  founders  of  the 
temple.  All  (the  images  are  seated  cross-legged.  Those 
in  the  three  circles  surrounding  the  principal  cupola 
resemble  each  other.  They  have  neither  a  crown,  a 
halo,  nor  a  cushion.  They  are  supposed  to  represent 
the  Buddha  comprehending  in  the  first  of  his  five 
heavenly  revelations.  The  four  others,  each  facing 
one  of  the  cardinal  points  of  heaven,  are  on  the  para- 
pets of  the  galleries.  (The  only  Buddhas  which  have 
not  as  yet  been  positively  identified  are  those  of  the 
top  gallery.)  All  five  hold  their  hands  in  different 
positions ;  those  on  the  southern  side  represent  Buddha 
the  Teacher ;  on  the  west,  Buddha  the  Thinker ;  on  the 
north,  the  Buddha  who  Promises ;  and  on  the  east,  the 

61 


JAVA  AND  ITS  CHALLENGE. 

Buddha  who  Receives.  Another  explanation  has  it 
that  the  images  of  the  lower  stories  represent  the 
"World  of  Desires;  those  on  the  upper  terraces,  the 
World  of  Created  Things;  and  the  unfinished  image 
in  the  upper  cupola  (the  principal  dagob),  the  Form- 
less or  Amorphous  World ;  these  three  phases  agreeing 
with  the  three  stages  by  which  Nirvana,  the  Eternal 
Sleep,  is  reached." 

Thus  we  see  in  the  ruins  that  are  to  be  found  in 
these  various  places  the  passing  of  the  day  when  the 
knee  was  bowed  in  worship  to  these  gods.  We  see 
the  ushering-in  of  that  other  religion  whose  strength 
is  to  be  matched  against  the  strength  of  Christianity 
in  these  latter  days.  May  the  day  be  hastened  when 
Mohammedan  supremacy  shall  be  a  thing  of  the  past 
and  when  the  mosques  shall  become  as  the  temple- 
ruins  of  Hinduism  or,  perhaps  better,  be  turned  into 
churches  where  the  praises  of  the  True  Prophet  shall 
be  sung  and  the  blessed  story  of  the  Christ  shall  be 
told. 


62 


CHAPTER  IV. 
THE  GOVERNMENT. 

Introduction. — Prior  to  the  Hindu  period  in  the 
history  of  Java  and  before  the  beginning  of  the  Chris- 
tian era,  the  early  annals  of  history  show  that  the 
Malays  inhabiting  the  island  were  a  simple  people, 
working  in  the  rice  fields  and  following  a  quiet  life. 
It  was  in  the  first  century  A.  D.  that  the  invasion  of 
the  Hindus  took  place.  This  period  of  their  history 
extends  up  to  the  beginning  of  the  fifteenth  century. 

EiVRLY  Period. — Dr.  Clive  Day,  in  writing  of  this 
early  period,  tells  us:  "In  its  progress  through  Java 
it  broke  up  the  old  States  into  new  ones,  but  there  is 
no  evidence  that  it  changed  the  character  of  the  po- 
litical organization  or  added  anything  essential  to  it. 
At  the  time  when  the  Dutch  East  India  Company  be- 
gan its  operations  in  Java,  it  foimd  the  whole  island 
subject  to  monarchical  and  absolute  governments. 
These  governments  were  undoubtedly  of  later  origin 
in  the  west  than  in  the  east  of  the  island ;  they  had  not 
been  in  operation  long  enough  in  the  west  to  destroy 
all  the  rights  of  the  people,  and  had  not  extended  into 
thinly-populated  districts  where  small  tribal  groups 
like  the  Badoeis  could  still  maintain  themselves.  It 
may  be  that  remnants  of  tribal  institutions  are  still 
to  be  found  in  the  native  organization,  but  the  people 

63 


JAVA  AND  ITS  CHALLENGE. 

had  for  the  most  part  passed  far  beyond  the  tribal 
stage  when  the  Dutch  appeared  in  the  East/' 

Political  Organization. — ''The  territorial  State 
under  an  absolute  monarch  was  the  typical  form  of 
political  organization,  and  over  a  great  part  of  Java 
such  States  had  been  in  existence  probably  over  a 
thousand  years.  The  people  had  been  disciplined  as 
few  of  the  other  Malays  have  been.  They  had  been 
governed  till  they  had  lost  all  power  to  govern  them- 
selves, and  they  had  been  repressed  so  that  they  had 
no  longer  the  ability  to  throw  off  a  bad  government. 
It  is  a  fact  of  prime  importance  in  the  history  of  the 
Dutch  in  Java  that  they  found  the  native  institutions 
in  this  condition,  not  fresh  and  in  a  course  of  vigorous 
development,  but  old  and  worn  going  through  their 
cycles  of  change,  only  to  return  to  the  old  starting- 
point.  Nothing  else  would  explain  the  ease  with 
which  the  Dutch  conquered  and  ruled  the  island. ' ' 

Mataram. — ' '  An  idea  of  the  native  political  organ- 
ization can  be  given  by  selecting  for  description  Mata- 
ram, the  most  powerful  of  the  States  with  which  the 
East  India  Company  had  to  do.  In  the  first  half  of 
this  century  this  State  ruled  over  the  greater  part  of 
the  island.  Like  all  of  the  large  native  States,  it  had 
been  built  up  in  a  comparatively  short  time  by  con- 
quest, and  there  was  no  organic  union  between  its  dif- 
ferent parts.  That  it  was  no  natural  growth,  but  the 
artificial  construction  of  a  successful  warrior,  is  clearly 
shown  by  the  organization  of  the  government.  The 
monarch  had  under  his  direct  control  only  a  small 
part  of  the  State;  the  rest  was  held  in  his  name  by 

64 


THE  GOVERNMENT. 

subordinate  princes,  who  maintained  just  as  much  in- 
dependence as  they  dared.  A  distant  province  left 
under  the  rule  of  a  representative  of  the  conquered 
dynasty  would  be  only  nominally  subject  to  the  mon- 
arch, while  provinces  near  the  capital  and  ruled  by 
members  of  the  monarch's  family  would  be  really  de- 
pendent on  him.  In  a  large  part  of  the  State,  the 
northeastern  provinces,  the  scheme  of  administration 
was  as  follows:  Each  province  had  its  subordinate 
king,  pangeran,  and  beside  him  a  governor,  represent- 
ing the  central  authority;  throughout  the  districts 
and  towns  of  the  province  each  of  these  officials  was 
represented  by  distinct  subordinates.  Besides  these 
two  groups  of  officials  there  was  a  third,  devoted  to 
the  provincial  administration;  each  place  had  two 
tax-gatherers,  who  reported  directly  to  superiors  in 
their  owa  department,  and  were  independent  of  other 
officers.  Then  over  the  whole  group  of  provinces  were 
two  special  commissioners,  who  had  their  special 
agents  everywhere  to  watch  the  conduct  of  affairs  and 
report  daily  at  the  capital.  Finally  there  was  a  body 
of  several  thousand  inquisitors,  who  ranged  in  the 
coimtry  in  bands  'like  hunting  dogs'  to  see  and  hear 
whatever  was  going  on.  They  had  the  right  of  entry 
everywhere,  even  into  the  assemblies  of  the  greatest 
nobles ;  they  were  '  the  king 's  executioners, '  set  to  catch 
his  enemies,  and  they  were  feared  and  hated.  The 
whole  system  was  evidently  framed  with  but  one  ob- 
ject, not  of  doing  something,  but  of  preventing  any- 
thing from  being  done ;  it  was  based  on  suspicion  and 
fear." 

5  65 


JAVA  AND  ITS  CHALLENGE. 

''The  army  was  divided  up  among  the  various 
higher  officials;  a  certain  number  of  soldiers  was 
ascribed  to  each,  to  be  raised  from  the  territory  sub- 
ject to  him,  and  that  number  could  not  be  exceeded. 
The  king  alone  was  free  to  keep  as  many  soldiers  as 
he  pleased;  practically,  of  course,  the  size  of  his  guard 
was  limited  by  the  amount  of  money  and  men  that 
he  could  secure  from  his  own  and  his  vassal  terri- 
tories. ' ' 

East  India  Company. — In  the  latter  part  of  the 
sixteenth  century  there  was  a  new  commercial  life  to 
be  felt  expressing  itself  among  the  European  coun- 
tries. The  nations  began  to  extend  their  trade.  The 
Dutch  East  India  Company  looked  with  longing  eyes 
towards  that  garden  in  the  East,  Java,  and  de- 
termined, if  possible,  (to  establish  trading-posts  there. 
A  first  fleet  was  equipped  and  sent  out  in  1595  for 
Java.  Ships,  men,  and  money  were  mostly  lost. 
Three  years  later  another  voyage  was  made.  Twenty- 
two  ships  started  and  were  more  .successful  than  the 
former  ones.  According  to  Day,  before  1602,  sixty- 
five  ships  had  made  the  return  voyage.  It  was  in 
1602  that  a  definite  policy  was  adopted  and  laws 
passed  to  govern  the  traders.  ' '  This  law  was  destined 
to  form  the  basis  of  trade  and  government  in  the 
Dutch  East  Indies  for  nearly  two  hundred  years. ' ' 

Reform. — In  1609  the  beginning  of  a  reform  in 
the  trading  business  was  inaugurated  by  the  appoint- 
ment of  a  governor  general,  whose  duties  were  to  re- 
store and  preserve  order  and  to  direct  the  activities 
of  the  company. 

66 


THE  GOVERNMENT. 

"The  appointment  of  this  official  made  necessarj^ 
the  choice  of  a  political  capital,  while  for  economic 
reasons,  also,  the  establishment  of  a  center  of  opera- 
tions wa^  desired.  The  territory  of  Jacatra  was  con- 
quered for  the  company  by  Governor  General  Both. 
The  fort  which  was  destined  to  become  the  capital  of 
the  Dutch  East  Indies  was  named  Batavia,  and  the 
-territorial  rule  of  the  Dutch  in  Java  may  be  said  to 
have  begun.  From  this  starting-place  the  Dutch  ex- 
tended their  territorial  rule  until  in  1750  it  embraced 
about  one-sixth  of  the  island,  and  in  1800  three-fifths. ' ' 

Political  Situation. — "The  thought  upon  enter- 
ing Java  was  that  of  commercialism  only,  but  they 
had  not  long  been  there  until  they  found  themselves 
being  drawn  into  political  situations  of  which  they  had 
no  thought."  "They  were  forced  before  they  knew 
it  to  become  politicians,  seeking  their  commercial  ends 
through  diplomatic  channels,  and  thej^  were  forced  to 
become  warriors,  upholding  the  gains  that  had  been 
given  them  by  treaty.  Every  indication  goes  to  prove 
ithat  the  territorial  expansion  of  the  Dutch  in  Java 
was  involimtary,  at  least  so  far  as  concerns  the  atti- 
tude of  the  directors  in  the  Netherlands.  The  series 
of  instructions  handed  dowoi  to  the  governor  generals, 
up  to  those  of  1650,  which  remained  to  guide  the 
policy  through  the  whole  succeeding  period  of  the  com- 
pany, bade  the  chief  executive  never  to  make  war  un- 
less forced,  and  especially  to  spare  no  pains  to  keep 
peace  with  the  princes  of  Mataram  and  Bantam." 

Council  of  Defense. — "In  1619  the  English  at- 
tempted 'to  drive  the  Dutch  from  Java.     An  unsuc- 

67 


JAVA  AND  ITS  CHALLENGE. 

cessful  siege  of  Batavia  had  been  made  tbe  year  be- 
fore. Now  a  Dutch  fleet  of  six  ships  attacked  four 
vessels  of  the  London  East  India  Company ;  one  Eng- 
lish ship  was  lost  and  the  other  three  taken.  The 
home  governments,  realizing  the  danger  of  conflicts 
in  (the  East  and  desiring  to  prevent  them,  formed  by 
treaty  in  1619  a  'Council  of  Defense/  consisting  of 
an  equal  number  of  members  of  each  company.  The 
trade  was  to  be  divided  and  mutual  interests  pro- 
tected.'' The  relations  between  the  two  factions  in 
the  company  was  anything  but  satisfactory,  and  there 
was  continually  dissension  and  misunderstandings. 
These  continued  until  an  outburst  some  few  years 
after,  at  which  time  the  Dutch  were  successful  in 
driving  the  English  from  the  trade  centers  in  Java 
and  they  themselves  monopolized  the  commerce  of  the 
island  for  some  time. 

Decline. — The  English  and  the  Portuguese, 
through  their  trade  in  other  parts  of  the  archipelago, 
made  such  a  competition  in  the  markets  that  gradually 
the  income  of  the  Dutch  East  India  Company  de- 
clined. 

New  Council. — Many  efforts  were  made  to  restore 
it  to  the  early  days  of  its  commercial  supremacy,  but 
it  was  all  in  vain,  and  in  1798  the  company  was  abol- 
ished and  the  Territories  were  thereafter  to  be  ruled 
by  a  Council  of  the  Asiatic  Possessions.  ''Java  was 
brought  thus  first  into  contact  with  the  public  life  of 
Europe  at  the  very  period  when  the  French  Revolu- 
tion and  the  rise  of  Napoleon  were  causing  there  the 
most  violent  changes.    The  Dutch  Government  which 

68 


THE  GOVERNMENT. 

assumed  control  of  the  East  Indies  was  no  longer  that 
of  the  Princes  of  Orange  but  that  of  the  Batavian  Re- 
public, and  the  governor  general  who  first  brought  to 
Java  the  new  spirit  of  the  times  addressed  his  dis- 
patches to  the  minister  of  King  Louis  Napoleon  or  to 
the  great  emperor  himself.  United  with  France  by 
the  fortunes  of  war  and  politics  in  Europe,  the  Dutch 
colonies  were  exposed  defenseless  to  Great  Britain, 
and  among  the  last  of  the  British  conquests  was  that 
of  Java." 

British  Rule. — "For  five  years  the  island  was 
ruled  as  a  dependency  of  British  India  by  an  English- 
man, Raffles,  who  attempted  in  that  brief  interval  to 
effect  changes  in  the  governing  system  that  amoimted 
to  a  revolution.  His  w^ork  was  scarcely  more  than  be- 
gun when  the  island  was  transferred  again  to  the 
Dutch ;  but  enough  had  been  done  to  serve  as  an  in- 
citement to  further  change  and  to  prevent  a  complete 
reversion  to  the  old  system." 

Dutch  Restoration. — ' '  During  the  first  period  of 
the  Dutch  restoration,  Java  was  managed  on  a  mixed 
system,  in  w^hich  the  traditional  methods  of  the  Dutch 
East  India  Company  were  employed  to  exploit  it  for 
the  benefit  of  the  crown. ' ' 

Culture  System. — "Then  followed  the  culture 
system.  It  was  Governor  Van  den  Bosch  who  origi- 
nated the  system  in  order  to  increase  the  wealth  of 
the  island  and  make  it  a  more  valuable  possession  of 
Holland.  In  establishing  the  culture  system,  the  gov- 
ernment granted  to  individuals  who  would  assist  in 
increasing  the  sugar  production  cash  credits  and  ten- 

69 


JAVA  AND  ITS  CHALLENGE. 

year  contracts.  Sufficient  advances  were  made  to 
those  colonists  to  enable  them  to  erect  sugar  mills  and 
to  maintain  themselves  till,  by  the  sales  of  their  prod- 
ucts, they  were  able  to  repay  the  capital  and  own 
their  own  mills.  The  government  agreed  that  the  na- 
tives of  each  community  or  district  should  grow  suffi- 
cient sugar-cane  on  their  lands  to  supply  the  mills' 
capacity,  and  deliver  it  at  the  mills  at  fixed  rates.  The 
natives  were  obliged  to  plant  one-fifth  of  the  village 
lands  in  sugar-cane,  and  each  man  to  give  one  day's 
labor  in  seven  in  tending  the  crop.  The  village  head- 
man was  paid  for  the  community  three  and  a  half 
fiorins  for  each  picul  of  sugar  made  from  their  cane, 
and  the  natives  who  worked  in  the  mills  were  paid 
regular  wages.  The  mill  owner  sold  one-third  of  the 
finished  product  of  his  mill  to  the  government,  at  rates 
rising  from  eight  to  ten  florins  the  picul;  the  mill 
owner  paid  back  each  year  one-tenth  of  the  govern- 
ment's cash  advanced  him,  in  sugar  at  the  same  rate, 
and  was  then  free  to  ship,  as  his  o^vn  venture,  the  bal- 
ance of  his  sugar  to  the  Netherlands  Trading  Com- 
pany, which  held  the  monopoly  of  transport  and  sale 
of  govemment  produce." 

Profits. — ''Enormous  profits  resulted  to  the  gov- 
ernment and  mill  owners  from  the  sales  of  such  sugar 
in  Europe,  and  during  one  prosperous  decade  the 
crown  of  Holland  enjoyed  a  revenue  amounting  to 
more  than  five  million  dollars  United  States  gold  each 
year  from  its  Java  sugar  sales. 

**The  great  success  in  sugar  led  the  government 
to  extend  'the  culture  system'  method  to  other  crops. 

70 


"W^X  M 


THE  GOVERNMENT. 

Tea  grafting  was  resorted  to  by  the  government's  or- 
der to  grow  a  better  quality  of  tea  and  so  insure  a 
more  ready  market  for  the  tea  from  Java.  A  new 
impetus  was  given  to  the  cultivation  of  coffee.  It 
was  required  that  each  native  should  plant  six  hun- 
dred Arabian  or  ^locha  coffee  trees  and  keep  them  in 
a  bearing  condition.  The  crop  must  be  cleaned  and 
sorted  and  delivered  at  the  warehouse  of  the  govern- 
ment, who  bought  the  coffee  at  a  fixed  rate.  The  out- 
put of  spices,  rice,  indigo,  and  chinchona  bark  was  all 
increased.  The  culture  system,  experimental  as  it  had 
been  in  the  beginning,  proved  a  magnificent  success, 
both  in  the  colonial  government  and  in  finance.  Much 
benefit  came  to  the  natives  themselves,  while  the  rev- 
enue to  the  cro\\Ti  of  Holland  was  far  greater  than 
any  one  anticipated.  Great  stretches  of  jungle  were 
reclaimed  and  brought  under  cultivation,  and  more 
mone}^  was  paid  in  wages  directly  to  native  cultivators 
and  mill  workmen  each  year  than  all  the  natives  paid 
in  taxes  to  the  government.  The  Javanese  acquired 
better  homes,  much  personal  wealth,  and  improved  in 
all  the  conditions  of  living.  The  population  increased 
tenfold  during  the  half  century  that  the  culture  sys- 
tem was  in  operation — ^this  alone  an  unanswerable  re- 
ply to  all  critics  and  detractors,  who  declaimed  against 
the  oppression  and  outrage  upon  the  Javanese." 

Criticism. — ' '  As  the  island  became,  under  this  sys- 
tem, a  more  profitable  possession  than  it  had  been  un- 
der the  real  tyranny  exercised  during  the  days  of  close 
trade  monoi>oly,  the  en\y  and  attention  of  all  the  col- 
onizing coimtries  of  Europe  were  drawn  to  this  new 

71 


JAVA  AND  ITS  CHALLENGE. 

departure  in  colonial  government.  Spain  copied  the 
system  in  its  tobacco-growing  in  the  Philippines,  but 
could  go  no  further.  Philanthropic  and  pharisaical 
neighbors,  political  economists,  and  some  advanced 
political  thinkers,  humanitarians,  and  sentimentalists, 
all  addressed  themselves  to  the  subject  and  usually 
condemned  the  culture  system  in  unmeasured  terms. 
Holland's  voluntary  abolition  of  slavery  in  its  East 
India  possession  by  no  means  stilled  the  storm  of  in- 
vective and  abuse.  Leaders,  speeches,  books,  pam- 
phlets, even  novels,  showed  up  the  horrors,  the  in- 
justice, and  iniquities  said  to  be  perpetrated  in  Java. 
It  was  shown  that  almost  nothing  of  the  great  revenues 
from  the  island  was  devoted  to  the  education  or  benefit 
of  the  natives;  that  no  mission  or  evangelical  work 
was  undertaken,  or  even  allowed,  by  this  foremost 
Protestant  people  of  Europe;  and  that  next  to  noth- 
ing in  the  way  of  public  works  or  permanent  improve- 
ments resulted  to  the  advantage  of  those  who  toiled 
for  the  alien  absentee  landlord,  i.  e.,  the  crown  of  Hol- 
land, the  country  being  drained  of  its  wealth  for  the 
benefit  of  a  distant  monarch.'' 

''All  the  iniquities  and  horrors  of  the  Dutch  man- 
agement of  the  cinnamon  gardens  of  Ceylon,  and  all 
the  infamy  of  the  Dutch  East  India  Company's  mis- 
rule in  Java  during  the  seventeenth  and  eighteenth 
centuries  were  stupidly  mixed  up  'with  and  charged 
against  the  comparatively  admirable,  orderly,  and  ex- 
cellently-devised culture  system  of  Go  vera  or  Van  den 
Bosch.     Contractor  planters  vainly  urged  that  the 

72 


THE  GOVERNMENT. 

only  tyranny  and  oppression  of  the  people  came  from 
their  own  village  chiefs,  but  philanthropists  pointed 
steadily  to  the  colonial  government  and  the  system 
which  inspired  and  upheld  the  village  tyrants. 

Alfred  Russell  Wallace,  who  visited  Java  several 
times  while  the  culture  system  was  at  its  height,  in 
his  observations  makes  this  declaration:  'Java  is  the 
very  garden  of  the  East,  and  perhaps,  upon  the  whole, 
the  richest,  best-cultivated,  and  the  best-governed 
island  in  the  world.' 

'  *  It  is  indeed  hard  to  reach  an  estimate  of  the  cul- 
ture system  that  will  be  satisfactory  in  all  respects. 
It  is  not  hard  to  ascertain  the  faults  of  the  government 
in  this  period,  but  to  draw  just  conclusions  from  them. 
One  danger  lies  in  the  temptation  to  compare  the  con- 
ditions of  the  government  under  the  culture*system 
with  conditions  in  previous  periods,  and  to  infer  from 
the  evils  known  to  have  existed  after  1830  that  the 
government  became  much  w^orse  in  the  period  of  the 
system.  Day  is  inclined  to  believe  that  this  contrast 
in  the  conditions  before  and  after  1830  has  been  ex- 
aggerated by  some  authors.  In  reading  the  history 
before  1830,  one  is  often  fretted  by  the  feeling  that 
the  writers  did  not  know  or  did  not  choose  to  describe 
all  the  evils  that  existed ;  jwssibly,  if  we  had  informa- 
tion on  the  early  periods  so  extensive  and  presented 
with  such  an  avowedly  critical  purpose  as  in  Van 
Deventer's  collections,  we  should  not  find  the  evils 
of  government  under  the  culture  system  so  entirely 
novel.     It  seems  safest  not  to  attempt  to  show  that 

73 


JAVA  AND  ITS  CHALLENGE. 

the  government  suffered  a.  great  decline  after  1830 ; 
it  will  be  enough  to  show  that  it  has  been  vastly  im- 
proved in  recent  times. 

Keform. — ''In  the  year  1860  the  results  of  the  cul- 
ture system  seemed  to  come  up  for  discussion  more 
and  more  in  the  councils  at  Holland,  and  from  year 
to  year  government  restrictions  were  urged,  until  there 
were  reform  measures  taken  by  the  government  to 
make  the  system  more  satisfactory  to  the  native  life 
and  conditions. 

' '  The  reluctance  of  the  government  to  give  up  the 
system  of  forced  cultures  in  Java  can  be  explained 
in  part  by  the  natural  inertia  of  all  political  organi- 
zations, by  the  tendency  of  every  government  to  con- 
tinue in  the  line  to  which  it  has  become  accustomed. 
A  bett^  reason  for  the  maintenance  of  the  system  is 
to  be  found  in  the  revenue  it  has  yielded,  so  long  as 
the  conditions  of  the  world  market  have  favored  one 
or  another  of  the  many  crops  to  which  the  system 
has  been  applied.  But  apart  from  these  considera- 
tions there  has  been  another  argument  constantly 
urged  in  favor  of  maintaining  forced  cultures,  which 
had  immense  weight  in  delaying  the  passage  to  a  sys- 
tem of  free  cultivation.  The  argument  was  that  un- 
der freedom  there  would  be  no  cultivation  of  export 
articles  at  all ;  that  the  native,  left  to  himself,  would 
give  up  producing  coffee  and  sugar,  and  would  raise 
nothing  more  than  the  food  necessary  for  his  subsist- 
ence; and  that  the  people  of  Europe  would  lose  all 
the  benefits  which  the  natural  resources  of  Java,  if 
properly  exploited,  could  confer  upon  them. 

74 


THE  GOVERNMENT. 

Credit  Bondage. — ''The  institution  of  credit  bond- 
age, as  it  existed  in  the  native  organization,  was  not 
one  that  could  be  recognized  and  maintained  by  the 
Dutch.  The  relation  of  master  and  servant  originated 
commonly  in  a  loan  for  consumption,  and  led  to  no  use- 
ful economic  results ;  so  by  a  succession  of  enactments 
continuing  far  into  the  nineteenth  century,  bondage 
for  debt  was  prohibited  and  has  finally  been  abolished 
in  Java.  At  the  same  time  this  institution  suggests  the 
means  by  which  the  Dutch  have  solved  the  problem 
of  'free'  labor  in  Java;  they  found  no  better  way  to 
secure  the  necessary  supply  of  labor  than  a  system 
of  credit  advances,  by  which  the  improvident  and  ir- 
responsible native  is  bound  fast  for  a  certain  limited 
time.  The  institution  of  the  credit  bondage  was  the 
final  settlement  that  the  Dutch  found  for  their  diffi- 
culties. The  transition  to  this  economic  solution  of 
the  problem  from  the  political  organization  of  labor 
as  it  existed  during  the  period  of.  the  culture  system, 
was  not  immediate.  Long  after  the  culture  system 
was  in  name  abolished,  its  effects  were  felt  as  elements 
in  the  labor  situation. 

"With  the  improvement  in  the  Dutch  administra- 
tion in  the  nineteenth  century,  the  government  has 
become  able  to  exercise  a  more  efficient  control  over 
the  proprietors  of  particular  lands ;  it  upholds  certain 
rights  of  the  cultivators,  and  exercises  its  sovereignty 
in  the  judicial  administration  and  in  the  imposition 
of  certain  taxes.  The  proprietor  still  keeps,  however, 
a  semi-public  position;  he  exacts  dues  in  labor  and 
in  kind  from  the  natives,  and  subject  to  the  approval 

75 


JAVA  AND  ITS  CHALLENGE. 

of  the  State  he  appoints  and  pays  the  head-men,  who 
exercise  the  most  important  function  of  communal 
government.  The  'particular'  lands  comprise  a  popu- 
lation of  many  million,  some  of  them  grouped  in  vast 
estates  of  75,000  or  even  175,000  people.  They  are 
owTied  in  large  part  by  stock  companies,  by  absent 
landlords,  or  by  Chinese.  Abuses  are  inevitable  under 
such  conditions,  and  there  have  been  a  number  of  com- 
plaints directed  especially  against  the  Chinese,  but  in- 
volving European  administrators  as  well. 

*'In  this  matter  the  first  question  the  government 
had  to  face  was  the  question  of  land  laws  according  to 
native  ideas.  Who  were  real  owners  of  land  in  the  na- 
tive organization?  In  whom  should  the  govemiment 
recognize  the  right  of  property,  the  right  to  '  all  those 
undefined  uses  which  remain  over  all  the  definite  and 
specific  uses  of  others  have  been  deducted  ? '  To  these 
questions  the  native  customs  returned  a  somewhat  am- 
biguous answer.  The  cultivators  of  the  soil  had  at 
least  in  some  parts  of  the  island  a  tenure  so  insecure 
that  they  appeared  to  be  laborers  rather  than  proprie- 
tors; the  lords  who  were  over  them  held  their  lands 
only  with  their  office,  as  a  rule ;  the  sovereign  alone  ap- 
peared to  exercise  such  rights  as  are  associated  with 
private  property  in  the  Western  world.  The  Dutch  in 
the  period  of  the  company  were  little  troubled  by  ques- 
tions of  abstract  principle  in  their  relations  with  the 
native  organization,  and  had  few  intimate  dealings 
with  it,  but  when  Raffles  came  to  introduce  the  land- 
tax  he  had  to  face  the  problem  of  native  tenures.  He 
sought  a  solution  that  might  be  conveniently  applied 

76 


THE  GOVERNMENT. 

to  the  whole  island,  and  found  it  in  his  statement  that 
the  native  sovereigns  were  sole  proprietors  of  the  land, 
and  that  the  European  government  succeeded  to  their 
rights.  This  solution  has  been  confirmed  by  the  Dutch 
Government,  which  has  made  official  announcement 
that  in  general  it  is  the  sole  proprietor  of  the  land 
and  recognizes  property  rights  in  others  only  in  the 
particular  lands  and  in  the  towns.  Though  the  gov- 
ernment has  taken  to  itself  the  property  right  in  land, 
it  has  left  the  natives  in  hereditary  possession,  and  it 
has  interfered  but  slightly  with  the  customs  of  native 
tenure. 

"Different  policies  are  in  force  governing  land 
rights  according  as  to  whether  the  land  be  cultivated 
or  luicultivated,  occupied  by  native  cultivators  or  by 
foreigners.  Planters  are  ceasing  to  register  complaints 
as  to  injustices  and  the  strictures  of  treatment  of  the 
native  cultivators.  The  native  is  being  well  protected 
and  the  soil  is  yielding  a  steady  and  increasing  pro- 
duction. 

Present  Government. — "The  Dutch  Government 
is  of  three  parts :  the  home  government  at  The  Hague, 
d3aling  with  the  legislation;  the  central  colonial  gov- 
ernment at  Batavia,  having  both  legislative  and  ad- 
ministrative functions;  receiving  its  rules  from  The 
Hague,  the  officials  of  the  provincial  and  local  admin- 
istrations. i\Iore  power  is  now  vested  in  the  home 
government,  and  yet  the  governor  general,  who  resides 
at  Batavia,  still  holds  much  power.  Associated  with 
the  governor  general  is  a  council  of  five  members,  ap- 
pointed by  the  home  government.    They  may  hold  no 

77 


JAVA  AND  ITS  CHALLENGE. 

other  salaried  office.  The  .governor  general  must  lay 
before  the  council  all  matters  of  the  colonial  govem- 
mient,  but  he  has  power  to  act  even,  over  the  council, 
should  they  disagree  with  him  on  any  points.  A  gen- 
eral secretariat,  who  conducts  the  correspondence  and 
edits  the  orders  of  the  government,  helps  the  governor 
general  in  the  detail  work  of  his  office. 

Day  says :  * '  Only  in  the  provinces  do  the  Dutch 
face  fully  the  problem  of  (their  government  in  the 
East ;  the  control  of  a  great  social  and  political  organ- 
ization, instinct  with  a  vitality  of  its  own,  and  work- 
ing in  ways  which  have  passed  out  of  the  memory  of 
Europe  for  centuries.  The  provincial  lofficials  bind 
together  different  ages  of  the  world 's  history.  If  they 
would  succeed  in  their  task  they  must  remain  Euro- 
pean and  yet  become  native.  Only  they  can  interpret 
the  two  peoples,  Dutch  and  Javanese,  to  each  other; 
transform  the  petty  native  problems  into  terms  in- 
telligible to  European  legislators,  and  again,  trans- 
form European  laws  for  practical  application  to  na- 
tive conditions.  The  island  is  divided  into  residen- 
cies, and  a  resident  represents  the  authority  of  the 
governor  general  in  the  province  of  his  activities,  an 
area  roughly  comparable  to  that  of  a  county  in  one 
of  the  Northeastern  States  of  America.  He  combines 
administrative,  minor  legislative,  judicial,  and  fiscal 
functions,  and  has  still  in,  some  cases  political  or  dip- 
lomatic responsibilities.  He  is  under  certain  specific 
obligations  to  protect  the  natives  from  all  oppression, 
to  maintain  peace,  to  further  agriculture  and  educa- 

78 


THE  govp:rnment. 

tion,  to  guard  religion,  and  to  extend  the  amount 
known  of  his  residency. 

"He  has  helpers,  assistant  residents,  who  relieve 
him  of  the  administrative  work  in  the  subdivisions  of 
his  residency.  These  subdivisions  correspond  gener- 
ally with  the  regencies,  and  the  assistant  residents 
have  come  to  be  the  regular  agents  for  dealing  with 
the  highest  native  oflficials,  the  regents.  Assistants  are 
in  theory  subordinate  to  the  resident,  but  in  practice 
are  forced  by  the  amount  of  business  to  act,  in  most 
cases,  independently  of  him.  The  last  in  the  series  of 
European  officials,  the  controleurs,  have  been  called 
'the  nerves  and  sinews'  of  the  administration;  they 
are  supposed  to  collect  information  and  to  execute 
commands  for  their  superiors  without  independent 
authority.  The  theoiy,  however,  which  would  make 
them  mere  instruments  through  whom  the  residents 
and  their  assistants  would  govern,  has  not  been  real- 
ized. Under  the  conditions  of  government  in  the  East, 
authority  tends  to  run  do^^^l  the  series  of  European 
officials  to  those  who  are  closest  to  the  natives.  The 
controleurs  are  in  daily  touch  with  the  native  officials, 
and  tliLs  position  gives  them  an  authority  which  no 
law  can  take  away ;  they  are  the  most  competent  to 
settle  the  petty  local  questions  which  form  so  impor- 
tant a  part  of  the  business  of  government,  and  exer- 
cise a  most  important  influence  on  the  conduct  of  af- 
fairs. 

"The  administrative  hierarchy  pervades  every  part 
of  the  island  and  covers  every  function  of  government, 
^  79 


JAVA  AND  ITS  CHALLENGE. 

and  from  top  to  bottom  it  runs  unbroken.  Officials 
have  ear  alorie  for  tlie  orders  that  reach  them  from 
their  superiors;  all  face  toward  one  point,  the  center 
government  at  Batavia  or  Buitenzjorg,  or  wherever  the 
governor  general  may  be. 

"The  Javanese  are  no  longer  as  easily  led  and 
driven  as  a  flock  of  sheep,  however  much  we  may  de- 
plore that  their  character  has  changed  in  this  respect. 
The  Javanese  oome  now  a  great  deal  into,  contact  with 
Europeans ;  the  education  spread  among  them  has  had 
an  effect,  and  communication  had  been  rendered  easy. 
They  do  not  fear  th6  European  as  they  did  formerly. 
The  time  has  gone  when  the  entire  population  of  a 
village  could  be  driven  to  a  far-off  plantation  with  a 
stick ;  the  pruning-knif e  and  the  ax  would  quickly  be 
turned  against  the  driver  in  our  times." 

The  Javanese  to-day  does  not  believe  that  you  are 
interested  in  his  welfare  only;  he  is  well  aware  that 
there  was  a  time  when  he  was  cheated  out  of  a  large 
proportion  of  the  value  of  what  he  harvested.  Some 
regret  that  the  time  of  coercion  is  coming  to  an  end  in 
Java,  but  that  can  not  change  the  facts.  The  dark 
period  in  the  history  of  Java  is  passing  away,  and 
every  effort  to  prevent  reforms  will  call  forth  the  en- 
mity of  the  natives.  May  we  not  well  ask  ourselves 
what  part  Christian  civilization  will  take  in  these  re- 
forms that  are  sure  to  come  in  this  land  of  varied 
history  ? 


80 


Mr.  Buchanan. 


See  page  113. 


CHAPTER  V. 
MISSIONARY  EFFORTS. 

Missionary  Efforts. — It  has  apparently  been  the 
policy  of  the  Dutch  to  interfere  as  little  as  possible 
"wdth  the  religious  life  of  the  Javanese.  Missionary 
effort  on  the  whole  has  been  discouraged,  and  until 
recent  years  even  education  has  been  largely  withheld 
from  the  native.  The  conversion  of  the  iMohammedan 
is  a  difficult  task,  and  it  may  be  that  the  Dutch  felt 
it  best  to  be  satisfied  with  the  natives  as  they  found 
them,  rather  than  to  attempt  to  train  and  teach  them 
in  the  nearer  and  better  civilization.  At  any  rate,  the 
Dutch  have  surely  adopted  the  policy  of  "least  re- 
sistance" in  dealing  with  the  native  people. 

In  the  early  days  of  the  Dutch  occupancy  of  Java 
the  Jesuit  missionaries,  who  had  been  at  work  there 
imder  the  Portuguese  rule,  were  ejected  from  the 
island  and  all  others  were  forbidden  to  enter. 

During  the  few  brief  years  of  the  British  power 
under  Sir  Stamford  Raffles,  English  evangelists  began 
to  work  among  the  natives.  When  Java  was  restored 
to  Holland  these  missionaries  were  driven  from  their 
posts,  as  were  the  early  Jesuits.  All  missionaries  were 
kept  from  active  work  among  the  natives  "until  the 
awakening  of  the  humanitarian  agitation  in  Europe, 

6  81 


JAVA  AND  ITS  CHALLENGE. 

which  resulted  in  the  abolition  of  slavery  and  the 
gradual  abandonment  of  the  culture  system." 

At  this  time  the  government  began  to  do  a  little 
along  the  line  lof  education  and  the  religious  teaching 
of  the  people.  Miss  Scidmore,  in  her  book  published 
in  1897,  says  that  ''the  government  supports  twenty- 
nine  Protestant  pastors  and  ten  Roman  Catholic 
priests,  primarily  for  the  spiritual  benefit  of  the  Euro- 
pean residents,  and  their  spheres  are  exactly  defined ; 
proselytizing  and  mutual  rivalries  are  forbidden.  Mis- 
sionaries from  other  countries  are  not  allowed  to  settle 
and  work  among  the  people  without  specific  permis- 
sion. The  authorities^  have  been  quite  willing  to  let 
the  natives  enjoy  their  mild  Mohammedanism,  and  our 
Moslem  servant  spoke  indifferently  of  the  mission  ef- 
forts at  Depok,  with  no  scorn,  no  contempt,  and  appar- 
ently no  hostility  to  the  European  faith. ' ' 

Mission  Statistics. — In  ' '  The  Mohammedan  World 
of  To-day,"  which  is  the  published  record  of  the  pa- 
pers read  at  the  First  Missionary  Conference,  on  behalf 
of  the  Mohammedan  World  at  Cairo  in  April,  1906, 
this  statement  is  made  regarding  the  work  of  Christian 
missionaries  in  Java:  ''There  are  at  present  working 
in  Java  forty-one  European  missionaries,  one  assistant 
preacher,  four  missionary  doctors  (one  of  them  a 
lady ) ,  four  other  female  helpers,  with  about  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  native  helpers.  Formerly  the  mission- 
aries were  compelled  by  the  government  to  reside  and 
work  in  the  chief  to^vQS  of  the  island  only.  There  it 
was  impossible  to  work  among  the  Moslems.  The  work 
is  still  limited  to  the  Chinese  pagans  and  the  Indo- 

82 


MISSIONARY  EFFORTS. 

Europeans,  who  are  nominal  Christians. ' '  Dutch  and 
German  missionaries  have  thus  far  been  working  on 
the  isle,  as  we  see,  mostly  among  the  peoples  who 
really  not  at  all  belong  to  Java,  although  they  arc 
to  be  found  there. 

It  is  a  lamentable  fact  that  this  condition  of  af- 
fairs has  existed  so  long,  and  that  the  song  of  the 
angels  has  yet  but  faintly  reached  the  ears  of  the  na- 
tive Malay.  So  close  is  he  to  the  beauties  of  nature, 
and  so  surrounded  by  these  outw^ard  tokens  of  the 
glory  of  a  paradise,  it  saddens  one  tO'  realize  that 
through  the  centurias  he  has  groped  his  way  in  the 
darkness  and  fatalism  of  the  non-Christian  religions. 
The  great  task  before  the  Christian  Church  as  it  en- 
tered the  twentieth  century  was  the  conquest  of  the 
]\Iohammedan  world.  In  the  verj^  beginning  of  the 
century  the  eyes  of  the  Church  in  the  West  were  to 
be  turned  toward  that  waiting  island  of  so  many 
countless  millions  of  IMohammedans,  and  the  cry  was 
to  be  heard: 

''  Humbly  to  the  prophet  pray'd  I  in  vain, 
Reading  his  Koran,  praying  again! 
Knowledge  of  bliss  if  among  ye  there  be, 
Christians,  come  over,  have  pity  on  me ! 
Thousands  are  trembling  their  death  stroke  to  meet. 
Christians,  come  over,  for  sore  is  our  need ! " 

Beginnings  of  American  Missionary  Work. — 

"  God  moves  in  a  mysterious  way 
His  wonders  to  perform." 

Prior  to  1905  there  had  been  no  effort  made  by  any 
American  missionary  society  to  open  work  among  the 

83 


JAVA  AND  ITS  CHALLENGE. 

waiting  millions  of  Java.  ,  This  island  of  State  area 
and  Continent  population  had  no  bond  of  fellowship 
uniting  it  and  its  needs  for  spiritual  enlightenment  to 
the  missionary  forces  of  our  own  land.  God  was  not 
unmindful  of  His  "other  sheep,"  and,  longing  for 
them  to  be  brought  into  the  fold,  was  preparing  those 
to  enter  the  door  He  was  about  to  open  to  Java. 

Early  Preparations. — To  see  the  way  in  which 
God  was  preparing  His  workers  for  the  task,  we  must 
needs  go  back  a  few  years  before  1905.  In  the  year 
1900  a  very  vigorous  campaign  for  Mission  Study 
was  begun  within  the  bounds  of  the  Pittsburg  Confer- 
ence. 

Goal. — The  Conference  officers  had  set  as  the  goal, 
' '  A  Mission  Study  Class  in  every  Chapter. ' '  At  times 
the  outlook  for  the  class  organization  v/as  not  prom- 
ising. All  sorts  of  excuses,  real  and  imaginary,  were 
offered  as  reasons  for  not  studying  Missions.  Some 
of  the  leaders  and  ministers  were  slow  to  give  their 
influence  and  cono-peration  to  the  movement,  fearing 
the  young  people  would  become  sidetracked  from  the 
Epworth  League's  general  plan  of  work.  However, 
a  beginning  was  made.  Time  has  proven  what  even 
a  little  leaven  with  God 's  blessing  will  accomplish. 

Campaign. — The  campaign  for  Mission  Study  was 
pushed  vigorously  and  unceasingly  from  year  to  year, 
and  although  even  yet  the  goal  has  not  been  realized, 
much  has  come  from  the  efforts  to  cultivate  the  mis- 
sionary spirit  among  the  young  people  of  the  Con- 
ference. 

Questions. — ^Many  a  time  when  the  early  cam- 

84 


MISSIONARY  EFFORTS. 

paigners  were  tramping  through  the  mud  or  driving 
out  to  some  remote  appointment  to  present  Mission 
Study,  the  question  would  come  up,  ''Does  it  pay?" 
"Will  it  pay?"  Truly  no  phase  of  work  which  the 
Epworth  Leagues  of  the  Conference  ever  adopted  has 
paid  such  large  dividends  in  joy  in  His  service. 

The  Slogan. — ' '  Mission  Study  to  broaden  the  life, 
Bible  Study  to  deepen  it,"  went  hand  in  hand.  The 
spiritual  life  had  been  deepened  and  the  vision  of 
life  and  Christian  service  broadened;  indeed,  some 
people  have  thought  the  vision  reached  a  little  too 
far  away. 

1903. — In  the  early  months  of  1903,  inquiries  be- 
gan coming  to  the  Conference  Secretary  about  special 
ways  in  which  the  young  people  of  the  League  might 
support  missionary  work.  Dr.  Oldham,  at  that  time 
Station  Plan  Secretary  at  Chicago,  was  appealed  to, 
but  had  no  definite  suggestion  as  to  place  of  work  at 
that  particular  time. 

Conventions,  June,  1903. — The  spirit  was  fos- 
tered among  the  young  people,  and  at  the  District 
Conventions  of  June,  1903,  with  the  assistance  of  Mr. 
Ralph  E.  Diffendorfer,  then  associated  with  the  Gen- 
eral Epworth  League  Office  in  Chicago,  now  Sunday 
School  Secretary  of  the  Young  People's  ^Missionary 
Movement,  the  Conference  officers,  Rev.  W.  W.  Young- 
son,  Dr.  Appleton  Bash,  and  the  writer,  secured  the 
passage  of  the  following  resolution : 

A  Resolution. — "Resolved,  That  the  Epworth 
Leagues  of  the  District  raise  for  a  period  of  three 
years,  one  thousand  dollars,  over  and  above  their  pres- 

85 


JAVA  AND  ITS  CHALLENGE. 

ent  missionary  offerings  to  special  causes,  and  that  we 
choose  a  'living  link'  in  some  Mission  field." 

The  resolution,  unanimously  adopted  on  each  dis- 
trict, was  taken  as  a  part  of  the  Conference  policy. 

First  Plans. — A  committee  was  appointed  to 
learn  of  places  and  workers  and  to  report  as  early  as 
possible.  The  Leagues  began  raising  the  money,  and 
the  committee  had  frequent  meetings  for  conference 
and  prayer  in  the  chapel  of  the  Book  Rooms  in  Pitts- 
burg. One  corner  of  that  room  is  forever  a  sacred  spot 
in  the  memory  of  the  workers  who  there  conferred  to- 
gether. 

A  Waiting-time. — There  were  weeks  of  waiting 
and  praying.  No  definite  plan  came  to  the  committee 
to  suggest  to  the  League. 

A  Change. — A  change  in  the  vision  came  to  the 
Secretary,  and  it  was  told  to  the  little  group.  The 
McKeesport  District  had  determined  to  use  the  one 
thousand  dollars  raised  among  its  Leagues  for  the  ex- 
tending of  the  work  among  the  foreign  peoples  within 
its  own  district.  Why  not  then  unite  the  other  four 
districts  in  the  support  of  one  field,  rather  than  have 
each  district  working  in  a  different  place  ?  With  the 
four  thousand  dollars  to  be  raised  each  year  a  new 
work  could  be  financed  in  its  beginnings.  It  must  be 
confessed  now,  in  looking  back  to  that  time  of  first 
plans,  that  the  Pittsburg  Conference  ''youngsters" 
(as  they  were  termed)  were  rather  daring  to  propose 
to  attempt  the  opening  of  a  new  mission. 

Fall  of  1903.— Late  in  the  fall  of  1903  the  Con- 
86 


MISSIONARY  EFFORTS. 

ference  Secretary  was  called  to  the  office  of  the  Open- 
Door  Emergency  Commission  in  New  York  to  assist 
in  the  preparation  of  the  missionary  exhibits,  which 
at  that  time  began  to  have  such  a  prominent  place  in 
the  missionary  education  of  the  home  Church.  Let 
us  leave  the  Pittsburg  young  people  raising  the  money 
and  looking  forward  to  their  leaders  to  bring  to  them 
at  the  right  time  the  plan  God  would  have  them  follow. 

A  Returning  ^Missionary. — In  the  fall  of  1903, 
about  the  same  time  that  the  Conference  Secretary 
was  looking  forward  to  going  to  New  York,  a  mis- 
sionary^ and  his  wife  were  taking  ship  at  Singapore, 
returning  to  America  after  seven  years  of  service  in 
our  ]\Iethodist  Mission  at  Singapore. 

Javanese  Students. — AA^hile  in  Singapore,  their 
work  in  <the  boys '  school  had  thrown  them  in  contact 
with  some  Javanese  boy  students  at  Oldham  Hall. 
There  had  been  a  special  drawing  towards  these  boys, 
and  frequently  the  students  talked  to  their  teacher 
about  coming  to  Java  and  opening  a  mission. 

A  Longing. — A  great  longing  to  go  to  Java  took 
hold  of  the  missionary,  and  he  began  praying  to  God 
to  open  the  way.  We  speak  of  South  America  as  the 
''neglected  continent."  Here  was  indeed  another 
"neglected  continent,"  for  there  were  about  as  many 
j>eople  as  in  South  America,  and  no  American  mis- 
sionary in  their  midst.  These  people  became  a  burden 
upon  Mr.  Denyes's  heart.  ''Missionary  Oldham,  six- 
teen years  before,  had  visited  the  island  with  the  ear- 
nest desire  to  send  workers  there,  but  he  found  things 

87 


JAVA  AND  ITS  CHALLENGE. 

•unpropitious.  The  missionary  bodies  already  on  the 
ground  were  not  inclined  to  be  hospitable,  and  the 
government  was  loath  to  grant  any  permits  without 
the  consent  of  the  existing  missionary  bodies.  Mr. 
Denyes  was  not  unaware  of  the  former  effort,  but  it 
was  borne  in  upon  his  mind  that  God  would  have  us 
go  forward." 

In  America. — Upon  his  arrival  in  America,  Mr. 
Denyes  began  to  talk  Java.  The  missionary  authori- 
ties did  not  encourage  his  enthusiasm  concerning  Java 
as  a  Methodist  mission  field.  Several  prominent  Meth- 
odist laymen  were  appealed  to  for  funds  to  finance 
the  work,  but  in  vain.  Mr.  Denyes  was  looked  upon 
as  being  overzealous  and  a  dreamer  of  dreams.  Many 
a  man  less  determined  would  have  been  satisfied  with 
the  prospect  of  returning,  at  the  end  of  his  furlough, 
to  his  former  -work  at  Singapore,  a  work  in  which  he 
had  been  exceptionally  successful.  This  man  called 
of  God  to  do  the  pioneer  work  for  the  Kingdom  in 
Java,  stood  unshaken  in  his  purpose,  if  God  permit- 
ted, to  enter  the  door  he  believed  was  swinging  open 
to  the  unknown  world  of  Java.  Earnestly  he  prayed 
and  talked  about  Java.  To  meet  him  was  to  hear  of 
the  intense  longing  to  bear  the  gospel  to  the  Javanese. 

Again  in  New  York. — One  morning  we  find  the 
Pittsburg  Conference  Secretary  being  introduced  to 
the  returned  missionary  from  Singapore,  and  told  that 
for  a  few  months  their  work  is  to  be  side  by  side. 
Little  did  Mr.  S.  Earl  Taylor  think,  as  he  gave  the 
initroduetion  and  assigned  the  task,  that  the  prayer 
on  the  missionary's  heart  and  the  prayer  on  the  Sec- 

88 


MISSIONARY  EFFORTS. 

retary's  heart  was  answered.  In  God's  own  way  the 
revelation  of  answered  prayer  came. 

Java  Pictures. — One  evening  (never  to  be  forgot- 
ten by  the  writer)  it  was  necessary  to  work  late  at 
the  office  in  preparation  of  the  exhibit  for  the  General 
Conference  of  1904.  Pictures  of  the  mission  fields 
were  being  selected.  Among  the  Malaysia  pictures 
were  three  views  of  Java.  Those  pictures  brought  out 
the  story  of  the  deep  conviction  in  the  heart  of  Mr. 
Denyes  that  work  should  be  opened  in  Java,  There 
was  a  different  kind  of  a  burden  on  the  heart  of  the 
Secretary  that  night.  The  answer  to  the  prayer  of 
the  Pittsburg  leaders  had  come.  Here  w^as  the  island 
of  Java,  with  no  work  being  carried  on  there  by  any 
American  missionary  society.  Here  was  the  man  with 
the  call  ready  to  gO'.  Here,  too,  were  the  Pittsburg, 
Allegheny,  Blairsville,  and  Washington  Districts  of 
the  Pittsburg  Conference,  with  the  means  and  the  de- 
sire for  a  living  link  on  the  foreign  field. 

A  Struggle. — ^Yes,  Java  could  be  opened  to  the 
gospel  by  the  young  people  of  the  Conference.  Nay, 
more  than  that;  it  could  still  be  carried  on  by  these 
same  young  people  as  it  grew.  The  means  and  the 
men  could  be  found  to  make  the  evangelization  of 
Java  possible  in  thii>  generation.  The  possibilities  of 
the  work  were  very  clear.  The  hindrances  to  the  w^ork 
were  also  very  vivid  that  night  and  for  several  days. 
To  be  willing  to  accept  the  answered  prayer,  and  to 
give  herself  to  the  task  which  God  was  imdoubtedly 
thrusting  before  the  vision  of  the  Conference,  was  the 
problem  the  Secretary^  had  to  solve.     She  does  not 

89 


JAVA  AND  ITS  CHALLENGE. 

now  regret  those  days  of  ,  struggle,  but  is  thankful, 
rather,  that  through  the  struggle  God  led  on  to  vic- 
tory. 

Victory. — After  an  unusually  restless  night,  when 
all  the  possible  hindrances  to  the  work  seemed  to  vie 
with  each  other  to  keep  sleep  away,  the  determination 
was  made  to  bring  the  Java  enterprise  before  the 
Leaguers  and  await  the  decision  of  the  committee. 
With  the  decision  came  this  challenge,  and  many  and 
many  a  time  it  has  served  as  a  guiding  star  in  the 
face  of  difficulties,  "Behold,  is  there  anything  too 
hard  for  Me  ? "  * '  Other  sheep  I  have  that  are  not  of 
this  fold,  them  also  I  must  bring."  ''With  God  all 
things  are  possible."  "Whatsoever  I  say  unto  you, 
do  it. "  A  letter  was  sent  asking  for  a  called  meeting 
of  the  committee  at  a  time  when  the  matter  might  be 
presented. 

Encouragement. — Dr.  Goucher,  always  the  sym- 
pathetic friend  of  the  young  people,  was  in  the  New 
York  office  one  day  shortly  after  the  letter  had  been 
written,  and  to  him  the  decision  was  told.  His  kindly 
words  of  encouragement  shall  never  be  forgotten  as 
he  spoke  of  the  providential  leadings  of  God  and  as- 
sured us  that,  although  we  would  encounter  many  ob- 
stacles in  the  beginnings,  yet  in  the  end,  if  we  fol- 
lowed as  the  Master  led,  success  would  come  to  the 
enterprise.  Dr.  Goucher  always  stood  by  the  ones  in 
the  Conference  organization  upon  whom  the  burden 
fell,  and  at  all  times  was  a  wise  counselor,  and  we  all 
feel  we  owe  much  to  him  in  the  final  adjustments  that 
were  made. 

90 


MISSIONARY  EFFORTS. 

Discouragements. — At  the  meeting  held  in  Pitts- 
burg to  discuss  the  possibility  and  the  advisability  of 
the  Conference  taking  up  the  beginning  of  work  in 
Java,  many  obstacles  arose.  Some  were  incredulous, 
others  were  indifferent.  "Owl"  notes  were  sounded 
by  some  upon  whom  we  had  most  counted  for  support. 
But  with  obstacles  and  opposition  arose  the  needed 
believing  courage  and  Divine  w^isdom. 

Committee. — The  only  action  taken  was  the  ap- 
pointment of  a  committee,  of  which  the  Secretary 
should  be  chairman,  to  confer  with  Bishop  Warne,  at 
that  tin>e  Bishop  of  Southern  India,  and  Dr.  B.  F. 
West,  District  Superintendent  of  the  Singapore  Dis- 
trict, as  to  whether  or  not  they  considered  the  time 
ready  for  entering  Java.  This  committee  was  to  meet 
at  such  time  and  place  a«  was  deemed  best  after  reach- 
ing the  General  Conference  at  Los  Angeles. 

Bishop  W.vrne. — Preceding  the  gathering  of  Gen- 
eral Conference  at  Los  Angeles,  a  missionary  conven- 
tion was  held  at  San  Francisco.  One  day,  during  the 
convention,  Bishop  Warne  came  into  the  exhibit  and 
was  guided  through  the  various  exhibits  by  the  writer. 
Remembering  the  committee  meeting  for  Los  Angeles, 
and  anxious  to  know  the  opinion  of  the  bishop  about 
Java,  we  came  at  last  to  the  Malaysia  exhibit,  where 
we  could  linger  a  moment  to  talk  of  that  field.  Turn- 
ing to  the  three  views  of  Java,  the  question  was  asked 
the  bishop  why  the  Methodist  Church  did  not  have  a 
missionary  in  the  island. 

Bishop  Warne  answered, ' '  Simply  because  we  have 
not  the  money  to  open  the  field. ' ' 

91 


JAVA  AND  ITS  CHALLENGE. 

"Do  you  think  work  should  be  begun  in  that  field 
in  the  near  future  ? ' ' 

* '  Undoubtedly,  yes.  I  purpose  to  send  a  man  there 
as  soon  as  the  money  is  in  sight." 

''How  'much  would  it  take  to  open  the  field f 

**  About  thirty-five  hundred  dollars  the  first  year, 
after  that  it  would  depend  on  the  amount  of  work 
which  it  was  possible  to  open." 

*'How  long  would  it  be  before  work  could  be 
started?" 

"If  the  money  was  in  hand,  I  would  immediately 
send  a  man  whom  I  believe  Grod  has  called  to  open 
the  work  there ;  perhaps  you  have  met  him.  I  thought 
I  saw  him  here  working  in  the  exhibit.  May  I  ask 
why  you  seem  so  interested  in  this  field?" 

"Because  I  know  where  there  is  four  thousand 
dollars  being  raised  for  this  very  purpose." 

Bishop  Wame  then  clasped  my  hand,  and  with 
tears  in  his  eyes  said,  "  Is  it  possible  that  the  prayers 
of  the  Malaysia  missionaries  for  twelve  years  are  so 
near  an  answer  ? ' ' 

The  writer  has  often  wondered  if  this  instance  was 
as  indelibly  stamped  on  the  mind  of  the  bishop  as  on 
her  mind.  Bishop  Wame,  though  he  wrote  Mr.  Den- 
yes's  appointment  for  Java  before  the  close  of  the 
Greneral  Conference,  has  not  sustained  further  official 
relation  to  the  field. 

Bishop  Oldham. — Greneral  Conference  gave  to  the 
Church  Bishop  Oldham,  who  had,  as  has  already  been 
written,  made  a  trip  to  Java  sixteen  years  before,  hop- 
ing to  extend  the  work  of  the  gospel  at  that  time,  and 

92 


MISSIONARY  EFFORTS. 

now  just  as  the  work  became  a  possibility,  the  bishop 
was  assigned  that  part  of  the  foreign  field  which  per- 
mitted him  to  father  the  beginnings  of  Methodism  in 
Java. 

Van  Nuts  Hotel. — In  the  foyer  of  the  Van  Nuys 
Hotel,  Los  Angeles,  the  headquarters  of  the  General 
Conference,  several  committee  meetings  w^ere  held. 
At  these  meetings  were  present  some  of  the  leading 
ministers,  several  lay  delegates,  and  the  district  super- 
intendents of  the  Pittsburg  Conference.  Bishop 
Wame,  Dr.  West,  Dr.  Goucher,  and  Dr.  Leonard  met 
with  the  committee  when  their  other  duties  permitted. 
There  was  much  discussion,  and  at  times  it  seemed  the 
probability  of  opening  Java  to  the  gospel  was  an  im- 
possibility until  a  deeper  conviction  should  take  hold 
of  those  who  had  it  within  their  power  to  block  for 
a  while  even  Providential  openings.  At  the  final 
'meeting,  however,  it  was  agreed  to  submit  the  plan 
to  the  General  Missionarj^  Committee  in  November, 
providing  the  money  was  raised  by  the  Leagues. 

Dr.  West. — Dr.  West,  as  district  superintendent 
of  the  Singapore  District,  "within  whose  boimds  the 
Java  work  would  properly  come,  recommended  to 
Bishop  Wame  the  opening  work  in  Java  and  asked 
him  to  station  ]\Ir.  Denyes  there.  The  bishop  made 
the  appK)in;tment,  tentatively,  and  upon  Bishop  Old- 
ham taking  his  episcopal  duties,  the  appointment  was 
confirmed. 

In  the  Conference  Again. — During  the  summer 
of  1904  the  Leaguers  were  busy  with  the  new  task 
given  them.     Of  course  there  was  much  opposition. 

93 


JAVA  AND  ITS  CHALLENGE. 

There  were  some  who  believed  that,  could  the  matter  be 
tided  over  until  the  young  people  had  an  opportunity 
to  prove  they  oould  fulfill  their  pledge,  all  would  be 
well.  Probably  the  nearest  the  Conference  came  to 
losing  the  privilege  of  being  the  pioneers  in  this  work, 
was  during  the  Annual  Conferenee  session  of  October, 
1904.  There  were  those  who  were  very  determined 
that  the  Leaguers  should  not  be  permitted  to  do  as 
they  were  pledged  to  do.  Backed  by  some  of  the  offi- 
cials of  the  Church,  they  brought  up  the  subject  in 
Conference  in  open  debate.  They  contested  hard  their 
position,  and  in  the  end  lost  out.  It  was  always  an 
un explainable  situation,  to  the  writer,  how  some  who 
fought  the  Java  movement  so  hard  could  do  so.  Many 
and  many  a  time  their  voices  had  been  heard  calling 
the  young  people  to  the  Christian  life,  and  to  the  giv- 
ing of  themselves  to  the  doing  of  God 's  will,  no  matter 
into  what  form  of  service  He  would  lead.  Everything 
about  the  doing  of  the  Java  work  had  seemed  so  to 
point  to  Divine  leadership  that  we  often  came  home 
from  committee  meetings  and  wondered  at  the  things 
we  had  heard.  Perhaps  God  permitted  opposition,  in 
order  to  try  His  workers  and  to  prove  them  and  to 
more  closely  wed  them  to  Java. 

Farewell  Meetings. — Finally  all  the  necessary 
details  and  very  many  unnecessary  details  were  ar- 
ranged. Mr.  Denyes  came  to  the  Conference  for  a 
series  of  farewell  group-rallies  and  spoke  in  many 
places.  This  did  much  to  bring  the  work  favorably 
before  the  people.    Conviction  began  to  spread  rapidly 

94 


MISSIONARY  EFFORTS. 

through  the  Conference.  The  faith  of  8ome  was  sur- 
prised at  the  hearty  respon^ie  when  the  vision  came  to 
others.  Substantial  enthusiasm  was  mutually  inspired 
and  imparted.  On  the  morning  of  October  25,  1904, 
Mr.  Denyes  with  his  wife  and  three  children  came  to 
Pittsburg  for  the  rally  and  farewell  to  be  given  in 
tlie  North  Avenue  Church  in  the  evening.  The  Con- 
ference officers  had  arranged  a  farewell  dinner  before 
the  hour  of  the  evening  meeting.  Dr.  Goucher  came 
from  Baltimore  to  speed  on  his  way  this  first  mission- 
ary to  Java.  This  meeting  lingers  in  the  memory  of 
many  a  Leaguer  as  the  time  when  they  more  fully  re- 
alized what  it  meant  to  the  people  of  Java  to  have  a 
herald  of  the  Cross.  The  audience  of  almost  eight 
hundred  rose  'to  their  feet,  pledging  ]\Ir.  and  Mrs. 
Denyes  their  prayers  and  their  support  as  they  went 
to  the  new  field  of  labor.  As  loathe  to  say  good-bye 
as  they,  we  took  them  to  the  Union  Station  and  put 
them  on  their  train. 

October  28,  1904. — After  spending  two  days  in 
New  York  at  the  IMission  Rooms  and  in  doing  the 
last  things  that  needed  to  be  done,  the  family  sailed 
from  New  York  on  the  28th  of  October,  1904. 

First  Letter. — A  line  from  ^Ir.  Denyes 's  first  let- 
ter will  show  the  blessedness  of  the  tie  that  binds  him 
to  our  young  people:  "The  pleasantest  part  of  the 
journey  was  the  reading,  one  each  day,  of  the  letters 
from  the  various  Epworth  League  Chapters.  Day  by 
day  the  impression  deepened,  until  it  became  a  sweet 
certainty,  that  for  me  there  was  a  home  at  last,  not  of 

95 


JAVA  AND  ITS  CHALLENGE. 

wood  or  stone,  but  a  real  dwelling-place  in  the  hearts 
of  a  group  of  God's  people.  We  can  not  fail,  while 
backed  by  the  loving  prayers  of  so  many. ' ' 

Reach  Singapore. — On  the  afternoon  of  the  24th 
of  December  the  Peninsula  and  Oriental  steamer 
Coromandel  was  tied  up  alongside  of  the  w^harf  at 
Singapore.  On  the  pier  were  many  missionary  friends 
waiting  to  receive  the  returning  missionaries.  Reach- 
ing the  field  on  Christmas  eve,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Denyes 
and  the  children  were  in  time  for  the  Christmas  fes- 
tivities at  the  mission. 

Till  Conference. — Until  the  meeting  of  the  Ma- 
laysia Conference  in  February,  1905,  Mr.  Denyes  gave 
his  time  to  the  acoonnts  of  the  mission,  and  Mrs. 
Denyes  instructed  a  class  of  boys  for  membership  in 
the  Church  and  wrote  for  the  Sahahaty  "The  Friend/' 
a  Malay  story  paper. 

Conference,  1905. — ^Conference  met  in  Kuala 
Lumpor,  Federated  Malay  States,  February  15-20, 
1905.  At  that  time  Dr.  West,  in  his  report  for  the 
Singapore  District,  reported  the  desire  of  the  Pittsr 
burg  Leaguers  to  open  work  in  Java,  and  Mr.  Denyes 
was  appointed  by  Bishop  Oldham  to  open  new  work 
in  Java,  the  location  of  the  station  to  be  determined 
after  a  visit  to  the  field  by  Dr.  West  and  Mr.  Denyes. 

Start  for  Java. — On  the  14th  of  March  Mr.  Den- 
yes and  Dr.  West  started  from  Singapore  for  Java. 
Two  days  later  they  came  into  the  harbor  of  Batavia. 
For  three  weeks  they  traveled  through  the  island, 
visiting  the  various  mission  stations  of  the  different 
societies.    Mr.  Denyes  wrote  thus  of  the  trip:    ''We 

96 


MISSIONARY  EFFORTS. 

found  rather  more  Christians  than  we  expected,  about 
14,000  among  the  32,000,000  of  people.  But  thfj  sad 
feature  of  the  work  seemed  to  be  that  in  the  places 
where  the  work  has  been  the  most  promising  there 
has  been  a  falling  off  in  the  numbers  converted  in 
the  later  years.  The  only  explanation  given  by  those 
who  could  offer  any  explanation  at  all  was  that  the 
skepticism  of  Europe  had  destroyed  mast  of  the  evan- 
gelistic zeal  among  the  missionaries.  There  are,  how- 
ever, some  earnest  Dutch  and  English  missionaries 
who  are  really  doing  spiritual  work. 

Location^ — ''The  result  of  our  explorations  was 
that  we  decided  to  petition  the  government  to  allow 
us  to  begin  work  among  the  Chinese  of  Batavia. 
There  was  a  number  of  reasons  for  this.  First,  the 
Chinese  here,  as  in  the  Strait  Settlements,  promise  to 
be  the  way  of  least  resistance.  Many  of  them  are 
married  to  Javanese  or  Sundanese  women,  and  these 
women  have  left  the  ^lohannnedanism  of  their  people, 
yet  the  Chinese  customs  have  not  taken  deep  hold  on 
them.  Second,  Batavia  is  the  nearest  point  of  con- 
tact wdth  the  w^ork  we  already  have  in  Malaysia  and 
it  is  easily  accessible.  Again,  it  is  the  seat  of  the 
government  and  the  government  must  be  consulted  at 
every  turn.  Also,  later,  there  will  be  stations  opened 
in  Sumatra,  Bangka,  and  these  can  be  cared  for  most 
conveniently  from  Batavia.  ^loreover,  by  beginning 
with  the  Chinese,  it  is  possible  to  begin  at  once,  as  we 
already  loiow  the  ]\Ialay  which  the  Chinese  speak. 
These  and  many  other  reasons  helped  to  fix  our  de- 
cision as  to  place.     On  the  third  of  April  Dr.  West 

7  97 


JAVA  AND  ITS  CHALLENGE. 

returned  to  Singapore  and  left  me  to  solve  the  prob- 
lem of  the  evangelization  of  Java. 

Study  of  Dutch. — ' '  I  started  out  at  once  to  find 
a  Dutch  family  that  would  take  me  in  as  a  boarder, 
for  we  had  decided  that  a  knowledge  of  Dutch  was 
the  first  necessary  step  in  our  work.  I  found  a  place, 
stocked  up  with  dictionaries  and  grammars,  and  be- 
gan business.  In  the  meantime  I  had  sent  into  tthe 
governor  general  a  petition  to  begin. 

New  Opening. — ' '  At  this  point  there  came  an  un- 
expected turn  of  affairs.  Sixty  years  ago  the  people 
of  Batavia  built  a  church  under  the  patronage  of 
the  British  Government.  But  after  a  time  the  British 
Government  stopped  its  subsidy  and  the  struggle  to 
support  a  pastor  by  voluntary  contributions  began. 
After  a  few  years  the  burden  became  too  heavy  for 
a  small  community  and  the  services  were  discontinued. 
For  a  year  or  so  a  layman  read  the  prayers  to  a  small 
congregation,,  but  he  left  and  the  church  was  closed. 
Dr.  West  preached  the  first  sermon  heard  for  years. 
Two  weel^  later  I  was  asked  to  preach,  which  I  did, 
and  then  it  was  arranged  that  I  should  hold  regular 
services  in  English.  So  I  find  myself  the  pastor  of 
an  English  conununity  of  about  seventy  persons.  And 
the  community  needs  it.  This  English  work  will  be 
of  very  great  value  to  us  in  our  native  work.  All  of 
our  great  work  in  Singapore  began  and  was  built  up 
about  the  English  Church.  In  between  Dutch  lessons 
I  have  also  been  busy  getting  acquainted  with  the 
Chinese  of  the  city.  At  least  ten  of  the  boys  formerly 
in  our  school  in  Singapore  are  living  in  the  city.    Only 

98 


MISSIONARY  EFFORTS. 

one  of  tiiese  is  a  Christian,  but  they  are  all  of  good 
families." 

Return  to  Singapore. — About  the  first  of  June 
J\Ir.  Denyes  returned  to  Singapore  to  pack  his  house- 
hold goods  and  take  his  family  to  the  new  home  await- 
ing them  in  Java.    Thither  they  went  July  17,  1905. 

Headquarters. — When  Mrs.  Denyes  and  the  chil- 
dren were  brought  to  Java  the  mission  headquarters 
were  made  at  Buitenzorg,  a  place  that  would  easily 
lend  itself  as  a  center  for  the  work. 

First  Service. — The  first  real  religious  native 
service  was  held  on  a  Sunday  afternoon  in  October, 
when  INIr.  and  Mrs.  Denyes  met  Pang  Ek  Poei  and 
his  wife,  Tan  Si  Cheng,  in  the  parsonage  and  pointed 
them  to  the  Savior.  The  first  hymn  learned  was, 
''Jes3U>s  lovess  me,  this  I  know/'  Mr.  Denyes  said  it 
was  the  sweetest  music  he  had  heard  for  months. 

First  Church. — As  soon  as  possible  a  suitable 
room  was  secured  and  on  November  5,  1905,  the  First 
INIethodist  Episcopal  Church  of  Buitenzorg  was  or- 
ganized. ]\Irs.  Denyes  was  received  by  letter  from  the 
Church  at  Singapore,  and  Pang  Ek  Poei  and  his  wife 
were  enrolled  as  inquirers  or  probationers. 

With  God  all  things  are  possible.  That  which  had 
been  but  a  hope  had  m  an  incredibly  short  time  be- 
come a  reality.  At  the  end  of  the  second  month  or- 
ganized work  had  been  begun.  It  seems  almost  safe 
to  say  that  no  other  mission  was  ever  started  imder 
more  favorable  circumstances  or  conditions.  Possibly 
there  never  was  a  mission  whose  opening  was  the  ob- 
ject of  so  much  prayer.    Some  one  wrote  of  it,  "Every 

99 


JAVA  AND  ITS  CHALLENGE. 

new  step  has  been  marked-  by  indications  of  provi- 
dential oversight,  until  one  is  almost  called  upon  to 
believe  in  predestination.  Again  and  again  has  un- 
belief been  rebuked." 

Northwestern  University. — Grateful  recognition 
must  be  made  to  the  students  of  Northwestem  Uni- 
versity who  supplemented  the  gifts  of  the  young  peo- 
ple of  the  Conference  during  the  first  year  Mr.  Denyes 
was  on  the  field. 

Prospects. — The  prospects  of  this  new  mission  are 
"as  bright  as  the  promises  of  God."  Openings  are 
expected  on  every  hand.  A  large  fruitage  may  be 
expected  in  the  immediatei  future.  The  opportunity 
for  effective  organized  work  which  will  yield  large 
returns  is  before  the  Church.  Will  the  Church  be 
faithful  to  the  opportunity? 


100 


53 

m 

■     5    N 

>  y.   c 

_  a   5 

c 

1  5  ^ 
-■^  z  c 

s-  s    r 
^  «    ^ 


CHAPTER  VI. 
THE  WORK  AND  THE  WORKERS. 

Providential  Care. — As  God  directed  the  begin- 
ning of  the  work  in  Java,  so  He  has  cared  for  its  con- 
tinuation. The  growth  has  been  far  greater  than  any 
one  thought  possible  within  the  short  time  the  mission 
has  been  opened.  All  the  way  through  the  develop- 
ments of  the  last  five  years  we  see  clearly  that  it  has 
been  Grod's  hand  that  has  been  at  the  helm  guiding 
the  work  and  workers. 

Two  Situations. — In  the  main  there  are  two  situ- 
ations ini  the  work:  the  Urban  and  the  Rural.  The 
work  in  Batavia,  Buitenzorg,  Tjisaroea,  and  Soera- 
baya  present  the  Urban  problems,  while  Kampong 
Sawa,  Kebantenan,  Tj later,  Tjampea,  and  Tjibinong 
and  several  other  points  afford  us  the  Rural  situation. 

Two  Kinds  of  Work. — The  evangelistic  and  the 
educational  phases  of  missionary  work  have  been 
started,  the  third,  the  medical,  awaits  the  appoint- 
ment of  the  first  medical  missionar}\ 

Batavia. — While  Buitenzorg  was  first  chosen  as 
the  headquarters  of  the  mission,  in  a  very  short  time 
it  seemed  wise  to  have  the  activities  center  in  Batavia. 
The  change  was  made  and  ^Ir.  Denyes  and  his  family 
took  up  their  residence  at  Batavia. 

101 


JAVA  AND  ITS  CHALLENGE. 

English  Church. — The  English  Church  already 
referred  to  in  the  last  chapter  was  for  some  time  a 
part  of  the  Methodist  work,  and  with  Mr.  Denyes  as 
its  pastor  it  proved,  as  anticipated,  a  very  valuable 
assistant  in  the  doing  of  the  native  work. 

Karet. — Karet,  a  little  village  near  Batavia,  soon 
heard  of  the  arrival  of  the  English  missionary,  as  they 
called  him,  and  at  once  began  sending  representatives 
to  Mr.  Denyes  to  see  if  he  would  not  come  and  hold 
services  for  them.  Mr.  Denyes  visited  the  village  and 
decided  to  open  a  mission  at  once.  He  baptized  and 
enrolled  as  enquirers  eleven  adult  Chinese.  This 
Church  was  the  direct  outcome  of  the  faithfulness  of 
a  Christian  Malay  man,  who,  having  heard  the  Gos- 
pel from  a  Dutch  missionary,  had  attempted  to  tell 
the  Story  ito  others.  A  school  was  opened  for  the 
boys  and  girls  of  these  families.  The  school  work 
has  been  co-educational  almost  from  the  first  of  Mr. 
Denyes 's  work. 

Later  in  the  year  1906  this  preaching  place  and 
school  had  to  be  abandoned  because  of  the  persecu- 
tion of  the  members  by  an  Arab  landlord.  This  per- 
secution meant  loss  of  work  and  the  families  had  to 
scatter  to  other  places  to  earn  a  livelihood.  However, 
as  is  alw^ays  the  case,  the  work  was  not  hindered  by 
this  persecution,  as  other  places  where  these  families 
settled  were  opened  to  the  missionaries. 

Pasar  Senen. — In  April,  1906,  a  preaching  place 
was  opened  at  Pasar  Senen,  Weltevreden,  Batavia, 
and  Balok  Arpasad,  the  Malay  mentioned  above,  was 
put  in  charge.     The  membership  at  first  was  very 

102 


THE  WORK  AND  THE  WORKERS. 

small,  but  we  have  had,  what  is  most  important,  a 
steady  growth  both  in  numbers  and  in  the  spiritual 
life  of  the  members. 

This  native  preacher  is  the  first  Malay  to  be  or- 
dained in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  He  had 
a  varied  problem  to  meet  in  taking  the  gospel  to  these 
villagers,  who  were  Javanese,  Sundauese,  Hokien,  Chi- 
nese, and  Malays. 

A  Sunday  school,  grown  to  a  membership  of  fifty, 
seeks  to  reach  the  children  and  teach  them  of  Christ. 
The  day  school,  taught  by  the  niece  of  the  pastor,  a 
young  Malay  girl,  puts  much  emphasis  upon  the  Chris- 
tian life. 

Cottage  prayer-meetings  are  a  feature  of  the  work 
as  carried  on  under  the  direction  of  Balok  Arpasad. 
These  meetings  are  fruitful  in  creating  an  interest 
on  the  part  of  the  Mohammedans,  and  many,  even  the 
priests,  seek  the  pastor  to  inquire  as  to  the  new^  teach- 
ings. Some  are  w^eekly  becoming  enrolled  as  inquirers 
or  probationers. 

One  of  the  outlying  places  visited  by  Balok  and 
his  helpers  is  a  little  village  where  an  independent 
Chinese  Church  had  been  holding  services  for  years. 
Upon  hearing  that  a  new  missionary  w^as  teaching  in 
Pasar  Senen,  they  began  to  ask  if  services  could  not 
be  held  for  them.  i\Ir.  Denyes  went  to  see  those  who 
formed  the  membership  of  the  Church  and  learned 
this  interesting  story^ :  About  thirty  years  ago  a  prom- 
inent Dutch  official  had  retired  from  his  government 
office  and  settled  at  this  place,  and  devoted  some  of 
his  time  to  the  doing  of  missionary"  work  among  the 

103 


JAVA  AND  ITS  CHALLENGE. 

natives.  At  his  death  the  piissionary  society  of  West 
Java  held  services,  and  later  the  Roman  Church. 
However,  left  without  a  regular  pastor,  the  work  ran 
down  and  was  finally  abandoned  except  for  the  ef- 
forts of  a  native  member.  Balok  Arpasad  was  able 
to  create  considerable  interest  and  five  persons  were 
enrolled  as  inquirers,  while  many  are  thinking  seri- 
ously of  the  matter. 

One  of  the  most  encouraging  results  of  the  effort 
at  this  station  is  the  manner  in  which  the  Moham- 
medans are  coming  to  the  services  and  becoming  bap- 
tized, enrolled  as  probationers,  and  later  being  taken 
into  full  relation  to  the  Church.  Through  the  influ- 
ence of  one  of  the  exhorters  at  Pasar  Senen,  a  woman, 
who,  having  made  the  trip  to  Mecca,  had  been  a  Mo- 
hammedan hadji,  or  teacher,  for  eighteen  years,  has 
been  led  to  the  True  Prophet  and  is  now  spending  her 
time  among  her  friends  and  neighbors  pointing  out 
the  way,  not  to  Mecca,  but  to  the  Cross  of  Calvary. 

During  the  year  1908  the*  government  opened 
schools  in  the  Dutch  language  for  Chinese  boys  and 
girls,  and  the  one  near  Pasar  Senen  seriously  affected 
our  school  taught  by  Anna  Arpasad.  We  have  still 
held  on  to  the  work  and  have  secured  new  students 
to  fill  the  places  of  those  who  left  us  to  go  to  the  gov- 
ernment school.  Gradually  these  beginnings  of  things 
in  the  midst  of  one  hundred  thousand  people  is  gain- 
ing in  strength  and  encourage  us  to  look  forward  to 
the  day  when  a  splendid  church  and  school,  adequately 
manned,  shall  permit  the  missionary  to  meet  the  op- 
portunities for  service  that  now  so  burden  his  heart. 

104 


THE  WORK  AND  THE  WORKERS. 

PONDO  Gede-Kampong  Sawa. — Kampong  Sawa,  or 
*  *  the  village  in  the  rice-fields, ' '  is  situated  on  an  estate 
called  Pondo  Gede,  ^lethodism  has  been  for  twenty- 
six  years  in  the  lands  of  the  Malay,  but  it  was  only  in 
1906  that  she  really  began  work  among  the  Malay 
people.  The  Church  located  on  the  estate  at  Pondo 
Gede  is  the  first  ^lalay  Church  in  all  Methodism. 

The  beginning  of  the  work  there  wa^  among  one 
hundred  Malays  who  came  over  to  the  mission  from 
the  Roman  Catholic  Church.  These  members  were 
received  at  first  on  probation  only.  They  were  not 
sufficiently  grounded  in  Christianity  to  make  it  wise 
to  receive  them  at  once  into  full  membership.  Some 
]\Ioliammedans  came  to  the  services  and  were  enrolled 
as  seekers  for  the  truth  and  were  baptized.  The  ma- 
jority of  the  villagers  have  so  long  been  under  other 
training  that  it  took  some  months  of  careful  instruc- 
tion and  watching  to  bring  them  to  an  understanding 
of  the  tenets  of  Christianity  and  to  fit  them  for  full 
membership.  A  church  building  was  erected  at  a 
small  cost  of  $120,  and  the  members  assisted  in  the 
building.  There  is  a  seating  capacity  of  two  hundred. 
Nathaniel,  the  native  pastor  in  charge  of  the  work  at 
Pondo  G^de  when  it  was  first  started,  is  a  Javanese, 
and  his  wife  is  a  ]Malay.  Nathaniel  has  been  asso- 
ciated with  the  village  life  at  Kampong  Sawa  for  at 
least  thirty-five  years,  and  was  the  Christian  worker 
even  before  the  establishment  of  the  ]\Iethodist  ]\Iis- 
sion  there.  ]\Ir.  Denyes's  ministry  has  greatly  revived 
this  congregation  and  they  are  now  earnest  Meth- 
odists. 

105 


JAVA  AND  ITS  CHALLENGE. 

A  school  wa^  opened  at  this  station,  taught  by 
Nathaniel's  daughter,  Sapiroh.  The  Church  and  the 
school  must  go  hand  in  hand  if  the  greatest  good  is 
to  be  accomplished  and  a  substantial  membership  is 
to  be  built  up  in  the  mission.  Nathaniel  is  especially 
strong  in  evangelistic  work,  and  at  the  last  Conference 
he  was  left  free  from  official  duties  in  connection  with 
the  Church  at  Pondo  Cede,  to  give  his  time  to  itiner- 
ating among  the  Mohammedan  villages  which  lie  so 
thickly  settled  about  this  village,  where  he  has  built 
up  a  strong  center.  The  teaching  work  will  be  looked 
after  by  other  workers  until  some  one  can  be  set  aside 
to  take  entire  charge  of  the  school.  Nathaniel's 
daughter  and  her  husband  are  in  the  Jean  Hamilton 
Training  School  at  Singapore,  preparing  to  come  back 
to  Java  and  give  themselves  to  a  larger  service  where 
the  Church  may  direct.  A  young  man  from  the  Pasar 
Senen  Church  is  also  in  training  at  the  school,  and 
thus  we  can  see  ahead  to  the  day  when  these,  who 
have  been  won  to  Christ  in  these  early  days  of  the 
mission,  will  help  extend  the  work  among  their  own 
peoples. 

Tjiater. — Tjiater,  twenty  ^miles  from  Batavia,  is 
a  little  village  of  Mohammedans.  Menasseh,  a  Java- 
nese, is  one  of  the  local  preachers  and  he  is  connected 
with  a  business  firm  in  Batavia.  In  1907  he  began 
going  out  every  Saturday  night  to  Tjiater  and  re- 
maining over  until  Monday  morning.  In  this  way 
he  could  conduct  a  service  Saturday  night  and  on 
Sunday.    A  small  bamboo  Church  accommodateis  the 

106 


THE  WORK  AND  THE  WORKERS. 

congregatian,.  The  foundations  are  being  laid  for  a 
splendid  work  here  among  the  Mohammedans. 

T.TAMPEA. — At  Tjampea  an  opening  has  come 
through  -tlie  landlord  of  the  estate  who  has  requested 
the  mission  to  take  charge  of  a  school  on  his  place, 
he  himself  paying  the  expense  of  the  school.  This 
means  another  opening  in  a  ]\Iohamm.edan  center. 

Kebantenan. — Balok  Arpasad,  who  so  successfully 
started  the  mission  Church  and  school  at  Pasar  Senen, 
and  who,  because  of  his  ill-health,  had  to  be  changed 
to  another  local  i'ty,  was  stationed  at  Kebantenan  at 
the  last  Conference  session,  1910.  Here  he  is  putting 
up  a  new  building  to  serve  as  a  home  and  a  school  as 
well  as  a  church.  Anna,  who  had  the  school  at  Pasar 
Senen,  will  teach  the  school  here.  This  will  aniake 
another  station  near  Pondo  Gede. 

Tjibinong. — In  1908  the  Chinese  teacher  at  Buit- 
enzorg  opened  a  preaching  place  at  Tjibinong.  At 
first  there  were  no  visible  results  and  the  only  en- 
couragement we  could  feel  w^as  the  intense  eagerness 
with  which  the  people  listened  to  the  Gospel.  A  school 
has  been  opened  -with  some  forty  boys  and  girls  en- 
rolled. A  Chinese  pastor-teacher  and  liis  wife  are  the 
w^orkers  at  this  station. 

Tanah  Abang. — In  1906,  largely  as  a  result  of  the 
persecution  and  abandonment  of  the  Church  at  Karet, 
a  preaching  place  was  opened  at  Tanah  Abang.  Balok 
Arpasad  was  placed  in  charge.  Here  the  missionary 
foimd  the  need  of  having  some  one  who  could  speak 
the  Hokien-Chinese,   for  there   were  many   Hokiens 

107 


JAVA  AND  ITS  CHALLENGE. 

who  were  attending  the  services  and  could  understand 
but  little  of  the  Malay.  God  never  opens  a  door  to 
service  but  what  He  shows  a  way  to  enter  the  door. 
About  this  time,  a  Hokien-Chinese  applied  for  work 
in  the  mission  and  was  received  on  trial.  Studying 
two  months  with  Chion,g  Bi,  he  learned  enough  Malay 
to  begin  to  do  some  work  and  was  put  in  charge  at 
Tanah  Abang.  This  work  continued  to  grow  but 
slowly,  and  finally  a  change  was  made  when  Diong 
Eng  Seng  and  his  wife  came  to  Java  from  the  work 
in  Borneo.  Eng  Seng  and  his  wife  have  faithfully 
met  the  problems  as  they  found  them  and  have, 
through  their  preaching  and  teaching  of  a  full  salva- 
tion, laid  good  foundations  for  the  Church.  The  mem- 
bership is  steadily  growing  in  the  spiritual  life. 
Diong  Eng  Seng  is  a  Foochow  man,  and  received  a 
long  course  of  training  at  Foochow.  His  wife  studied 
several  years  in  the  Methodist  school  at  Penang.  Ta- 
nah Abang  will  be  a  center  for  Chinese  work  as  well 
as  a  work  among  the  Malays.  It  is  one  of  the  market 
centers  of  Batavia. 

SoERABAYA. — An  cffort  has  been  made  to  widen  the 
work  of  the  mission  by  establishing  a  station  in  the 
east  of  Java,  at  Soerabaya.  This  will  be  the  very  first 
station  under  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Board  in  East- 
em  Java.  A  magnificent  opportunity  for  the  devel- 
opment of  a  strong  Chinese  work  confronts  the  work- 
ers; Diong  Eng  Seng  and  his  wife  have  been  trans- 
ferred from  Tanah  Abang  to  open  this  new  station. 

BuiTENZORG. — At  Buitenzorg  the  first  Methodist 
108 


THE  WORK  AND  THE  WORKERS. 

Episcopal  Church  in  Java  was  organized  in  November 
of  1905.  The  organization  took  place  at  the  home  of 
the  missionary,  Mr.  Denyes.  Later  on  the  Church 
moved  to  the  Chinese  quarters  of  tlie  city,  where  a 
house  was  rented.  In  1907  a  fine  brick  building  came 
into  the  market  at  the  time  Dr.  Gouoher  was  paying  a 
visit  to  the  mission.  He  advised  its  purchase,  himself 
giving  eight  hundred  dollars  toward  the  price  of  the 
building.  Th'C  building  is  well  located  and  will  meet 
the  demands  of  the  mission  for  years  to  come.  In 
the  first  days  of  the  Anglo-Chinese  school  in  Buiten- 
zorg,  an  English  lady,  who  was  making  her  home 
temporarily  in  the  city,  taught  the  school.  Upon  her 
return  to  England  there  was  not  sufficient  funds  in 
the  mission  treasury  to  permit  of  the  employment  of 
a  teacher.  For  a  time  a  Japanese  from  the  Anglo- 
Chinese  school  at  Singapore  was  put  in  charge. 
Larger  and  better  things  came  for  the  school  in  the 
beginning  of  1907. 

A  Gift. — Mr.  Tan  Guan  Huat,  a  wealthy  China- 
man of  Buitenzorg,  proposed  to  ^Ir.  Denyes  to  meet 
all  the  extra  expense  if  an  American  teacher  could  be 
secured  for  the  school.  He  desired  that  his  sons  might 
have  an  opportunity  for  western  methods.  ^Ir.  Den- 
yes consented,  and  upon  reporting  the  imatter  to 
Bishop  Oldham  he  transferred  from  the  school  at 
Kuala  Lumpor,  ]\Ir.  Otto  Carlson.  ]\Ir.  Carlson  had 
gone  to  the  mission  field  from  the  Swedish  Immanuel 
Church,  Brooklyn,  X.  Y.  His  first  station  was  in  the 
Philippines   for  evangelistic   work  there,   where   he 

109 


JAVA  AND  ITS  CHALLENGE. 

served  from  January,  1907,  till  the  fall  of  that  year. 
At  that  time  Bishop  Oldliam  transferred  him  from  the 
Philippines  to  the  Malay  States  and  stationed  him  at 
Kuala  Lumpor  to  assist  in  the  educational  work. 

IVIr.  Carlson. — For  one  year  Mr.  Carlson,  whom 
some  one  describes  as  having  had  ''the  enthusiasm  of 
a  boy  and  the  courage  of  a  man,"  was  permitted  to 
labor  in  laying  the  foundation  of  the  work  at  Buiten- 
zorg.  At  the  Conference  session  of  1908,  because  oC 
failing  health,  he  was  granted  a  furlough.  He  re- 
turned to  Buitenzorg  from  the  seat  of  the  Conference, 
and  made  his  preparations  to  start  for  America.  Upon 
reaching  Colombo  on  the  homeward  voyage  he  becam.e 
ill  and  was  taken  from  the  steamer  to  the  hospital. 
From  the  hospital  ward  in  a  foreign  land  he  con- 
tinued his  homeward  journey,  not  as  had  been  hoped, 
to  his  home  and  friends,  where  he  might  regain  his 
strength  and  live  to  serve  many  years  in  the  work 
which  was  so  dear  to  his  heart,  and  in  which  he  had 
such  marked  success,  but  home  to  Him  from  whom  he 
came.  Mr.  Carlson  was  the  first  missionary  from 
America  to  Java  to  pass  to  his  reward.  A  tablet  in 
Wesley  Church,  Singapore,  pays  tribute  to  the  mem- 
ory of  this  promising  worker.  At  the  Conference  fol- 
lowing Mr.  Carlson's  death  this  action  was  taken: 

"Be  it  Resolved,  That  the  Malaysia  Conference 
hereby  records  its  sincere  sympathy  with  the  family 
of  our  late  brother,  0.  A.  Carlson,  and  its  deep  grati- 
tude to  the  Swedish  Methodist  ChurcTi  of  America  for 
the  services  of  one  of  her  choicest  sons.  Though  brief 
his  stay  among  us,  it  was  filled  to  the  full  with  labors 

110 


NicHonKML's,  Halok  Arpasad,  J.  R.  Dknyes,   Menasseh, 

Anna,  Esther  Arpasad,  Naomi  Menasseh,  Christina 

Arpasad,  Christian  Workers  at  Pasar 

Senen,  Bat  AVI  a,  Java.  .sv^  page  102. 


THE  WORK  AND  THE  WORKERS. 

of  love.  Earnest,  warm-hearted,  and  true,  the  sin- 
cerity and  sweetness  of  liis  life  were  a  constant  call 
to  a  closer  walk  with  Him  whom  he  served." 

After  Mr.  Carlson  left  Java,  Bishop  Oldham  ap- 
pointed Mr.  and  ^Irs.  B.  J.  Baughman,  teachers  in  the 
Anglo-Chinese  school  at  Singapore,  to  the  English 
school  at  Buitenzorg.  These  new  friends  in  the  Java 
field  had  gone  ouit  as  contract  teachers  from  their 
Michigan  home.  They  are  taking  hold  of  the  work 
with  much  enthusiasm  and  earnestness.  The  build- 
ing has  been  overhauled  and  re-arranged  to  meet  the 
demands  of  the  growth  of  the  school.  April,  1909, 
marks  the  beginning  of  greater  things  in  this  work, 
for  at  that  time  ' '  The  Boys '  Boarding  School  of  Bui- 
tenzorg ' '  was  formally  opened  with  a  number  of  stu- 
dents resident  in  the  Baughman  home. 

Mr.  Baugliman  has  under  his  care  the  English  and 
Malay  schools  and  the  Chinese  Church  at  Buitenzorg. 
In  addition  he  looks  after  the  Chinese  Churches  at 
Tjampea,  Tjibinong,  and  Tjilebat. 

Tjisaroea. — At  Tjisaroea  one  must  pause  and  see 
the  providential  leading  and  the  answered  prayers  to 
fully  realize  what  is  involved  in  the  opening  of  this 
station.  First,  look  at  a  leaf  from  a  missionary's 
prayer  list,  dated  November  16,  1905,  "Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Buchanan  for  Java." 

i\Ir.  and  ]\Irs.  Buchanan  at  this  time  are  teaching 
in  the  Anglo-Chinese  school  at  Singapore.  For  three 
years  there  has  been  a  burden  on  the  hearts  of  Charles 
and  Emily  Buchanan,  and  it  has  often  been  voiced 
in  prayer  to  Him  who  in  His  own  time  and  own  way 

111 


JAVA  AND  ITS  CHALLENGE. 

answers  the  prayer  of  His'  believing  children.  This 
burden  and  this  heart  cry  has  been  that  if  Grod  willed, 
they  might  be  set  aside  for  Mohammedan  work.  They 
had  learned  to  leave  the  way  with  Him  in  their  stu- 
dent days  as  against  many  obstacles  and  difficulties 
they  had  worked  their  way  in  preparation  for  their 
life  work.  They  had  learned  to  leave  the  how  with 
Him  as  they  had  gone  out  to  the  mission  field,  not 
regularly  appointed  by  a  Board  upon  whom  they 
might  rely  for  support,  but  to  secure  their  own  sup- 
port and  at  the  same  time  give  their  best  efforts  to 
the  work  of  the  Kingdom  in  the  boys '  school  at  Singa- 
pore. God  chose  and  appointed  Charles  Buchanan 
for  a  special  work  long  before  the  Church  which  he 
has  so  faitlifully  served  recognized  and  accepted  him 
as  one  of  her  missionaries.  At  the  1905  session  of 
the  Malaysia  Conference  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Buchanan  were 
set  aside  by  regular  appointment  for  Mohammedan 
work,  but  were  left  without  a  station.  Time  was  to 
be  spent  in  further  study  and  research. 

"When  Mr.  Denyes  made  his  first  tour  of  the  Java 
field  in  1905,  he  was  invited  to  visit  the  estate  of  a 
Christian  Dutch  family,  3,500  feet  up  the  side  of  Mt. 
Gede.  They  told  him  how  they  had  been  praying 
for  some  one  to  do  mission  work  among  the  three 
thousand  Sundanese  on  their  estate,  and  offered  him  a 
place  on  the  estate  to  begin  the  work.  For  some  time 
Mr.  Denyes  endeavored  to  secure  some  one  to  open 
this  work.  It  was  at  this  time  that  he  wrote  in  his 
prayer  list — ''the  Buchanans  for  Java." 

In  November  of  1906  Mrs.  Denyes  and  the  chil- 
112 


THE  WORK  AND  THE  WORKERS. 

dren  went  with  Mr.  Denyes  for  a  month  on  this  es- 
tate. Mr.  Denyes  took  his  stereopticon  with  him  and 
gave  several  illustrated  talks  on  the  life  of  Christ. 
These  meetings  were  held  at  the  home  of  a  young 
chief,  who  was  an  ardent  IMohaiiimedan.  From  fifty 
to  one  himdred  and  fifty  Mohammedans  attended  the 
services.  The  people  speaking  for  the  mast  part  Sun- 
danese,  it  was  necessary  to  have  an  interpreter.  A 
Malay  man,  serving  as  clerk  and  foreman  on  the  es- 
tate, acted  as  interpreter.  His  name  was  Sem  Apioen. 
He  had  been  educated  for  the  ministry  but  had  turned 
aside  for  secular  work.  As  a  result  of  the  meetings 
during  the  month,  and  of  personal  conversation  with 
Sem,  Mr.  Denyes  aroused  the  desire  in  Sem's  heart 
to  do  something  for  those  around  him.  A  small  bam- 
boo house  was  put  up  and  a  school  started  with  Sem 
as  teacher.  By  the  end  of  the  first  week  there  were 
fifteen  enrolled.  A  Sabbath  service  was  also  begun  for 
Sem 's  f  araiily  and  the  other  nominal  Christians  on  the 
estate. 

A  beginning  was  made.  At  the  nexit  session  of 
the  Conference  iSlr.  and  I\Irs.  Buchanan,  who  had  two 
years  before  been  appointed  to  do  ^lalay  work,  were 
sent  to  Java  and  stationed  at  Tjisaroea.  Within  a 
radius  of  four  miles  of  ^Ir.  Buchanan's  home  there 
are  seven  thousand  people.  One  can  trace  the  con- 
necting links  in  the  ways  in  which  God  was  all  these 
months  preparing  work  and  workers,  and  can  look 
forward  to  the  time  when  He  who  has  led  thus  far 
will  give  great  victory  to  the  work. 

A  small  village  of  Javanese  families  have  beeome 

8  113 


JAVA  AND  ITS  CHALLENGE. 

interested  and  have  been  Enrolled  as  probationers  in 
the  Church.  By  means  of  the  giving  of  simple  reme- 
dies and  the  visitation  of  the  people  in  their  homes, 
the  work  is  steadily  gaining  in  numbers  and  in  in- 
terest. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Buchanan  have  been  in  America 
during  the  year  from  the  fall  of  1909  and  look  for- 
ward to  an  early  return  to  their  chosen  work. 

A  glimpse  at  ''roughing  it"  in  Java,  Breaking 
right  into  the  midst  of  a  letter  from  Missionary  Buch- 
anan, he  says:  ''About  petered  out  this  morning. 
Worked  too  hard  and  continuously  Monday,  so  got 
up  yesterday  with  the  blood  rushing  to  my  head  again, 
ate  but  little  breakfast,  continued  my  pursuits  the 
forenoon  and  my  head  changed  to  a  persistent  and 
strong  nervous  headache.  Ate  hardly  any  tiffin.  At 
1.30  started  for  Kampong,  walking  very  slowly  all  the 
way  and  arrived  in  1.15  hours;  visited  the  sick  and 
held  services.  Started  home'  in  a  rain  which  quite 
soon  became  very  heavy  and  violent.  Before  I  got  to 
those  two  little  houses  not  far  away,  I  was  about  as 
wet  as  one  could  be  from  the  knees  down.  My  heavy 
shoes  were  wet  through  and  both  feet  wet.  At  those 
houses  I  stopped,  took  off  my  shoes  and  socks,  rolled 
my  trousers  up  to  my  knees,  and  wringing  out  the 
water  from  my  trouser-legs,  I  waited  for  the  rain  to 
cease;  which  eontinued  for  about  a  half  hour  only, 
and  I  chilled  some.  As  the  rain  seemed  quite  finished, 
I  started  out  again  with  umbrella  up  to  ward  off  the 
mist  that  still  blew. 

"Having  arrived  at  the  nearest  stream,  I  found 
that  what  is  usually  crossable  by  big  stones  and  rocks 

114 


THE  WORK  AND  THE  WORKERS. 

high  and  dry  above  water  was  now  a  raging  torrent. 
I  found  a  place  where  I  could  throw  my  umbrella 
and  vshoes  across,  and  then  rolling  my  trousers  up  as 
high  as  I  could,  I  essayed  to  cross,  as  every  minute  the 
stream  was  getting  higher.  With  the  help  of  the  long 
staff  I  always  carry  on  such  a  journey,  I  slowly  slid 
down  the  great  boulder  at  the  edge  of  the  stream, 
feeling  my  way  with  my  foot  to  one  of  the  big  stx)nes 
at  the  bottom;  thus  slowly  and  carefully  I  crossed 
over.  The  water  almost  to  my  hips  pulled  and  tugged 
at  me,  but  I  kept  my  feet.  The  worst  point  was  just 
at  the  opposite  bank,  where  it  seemed  that  the  current 
was  especially  strong,  and  here  I  trembled,  not  with 
fear  but  from  the  strength  of  the  current,  like  the 
shaking  hand  of  some  nervous  person,  but  providen- 
tially, I  believe,  I  kept  my  feet  and  managed  to  seize 
the  bank,  and  with  my  staff  cleared  tlie  water  and 
again  stood  on  solid  groimd.  I  assure  you  that  I  forgot 
not  to  call  upon  the  Lord  before  I  entered  that  stream. 
The  three  natives  standing  on  the  little  plateau  about 
one  hundred  rods  away,  walked  on  when  they  saw 
that  I  had  made  it.  Next,  for  the  first  time,  I  was 
followed  by  one  of  the  water-buffaloes  grazing  near, 
interested,  I  think,  in  my  costume.  As  he  did  not 
come  faster  than  a  fair  walk,  and  as  I  did  not  pay 
any  more  attention  to  him  than  was  absolutely  neces- 
sary, I  soon  put  the  little  plateau  between  him  and 
me,  he  losing  sight  of  me,  and  came  no  further,  I 
have  been  followed  by  them  before,  but  could  hardly 
call  it  pursued.  But  this  fellow,  I  think,  was  dan- 
gerously interested  in  me.    I  was  so  very  ill  that  I  but 

115 


JAVA  AND  ITS  CHALLENGE. 

crept  along,  and  so  chilled  'quite  through,  but  arrived 
safely  home,  the  other  stream  I  had  to  ford  was  not 
so  dangerous.  Extra  clothing  and  blankets  did  but 
little  good,  so  I  went  off  to  bed  after  eating  a  few 
mouthfuls.     Such  is  life  in  the  mountains  of  Java." 

Vigorous  Campaign. — Through  the  influences  ra- 
diating from  the  school-room  and  the  preaching  serv- 
ices in  these  various  places  where  work  has  already 
been  opened,  a  vigorous  campaign  is  being  pushed 
by  the  missionaries  on  the  field.  Progress  and  victory 
are  the  keynotes  of  every  report.  All  things  are  ripe 
and  ready  for  a  great  campaign  in  this  newest,  and 
by  many  considered  the  most  promising,  of  the  eastern 
fields. 

Methodism  has  come  to  Java.  The  most  compact 
body  of  Mohammedans  the  Church  has  yet  faced  in 
her  campaign  for  the  Cross  confronts  our  workers 
and  challenges  them.  Which  shall  have  final  victory 
over  these  waiting  millions?  Will  the  Cross  or  the 
Crescent  be  the  sign  of  religious  supremacy  in  this 
"Garden  of  the  East." 


116 


CHAPTER  VII. 

THE  WORK  AND  THE  WORKERS 

(Continued). 

Adaptation  of  Scriptures. — ''But  I  rejoice  in 
the  Lord  greatly,  that  now  at  length  ye  have  revived 
your  thought  for  me;  wherein  ye  did  indeed  take 
thought,  but  ye  lacked  opportunity." 

"Not  that  I  shall  speak  in  respect  of  want:  for 
I  have  learned,  in  whatsoever  state  I  am,  therein  to 
be  content.  I  know  how  to  be  abased,  and  I  know 
also  how  to  abound;  in  everything  and  in  all  things 
have  I  learned  the  secret  both  to  be  filled  and  to  be 
hungry,  both  to  abound  and  to  be  in  want. ' ' 

*'I  can  do  all  things  in  Him  that  strengtheneth 
me." 

''How  be  it  ye  did  well  that  ye  had  fellowship 
with  my  affliction." 

' '  And  ye  yourselves  also  know, ' '  ye  Pittsburg  Con- 
ference Epworth  Leaguers,  "that  in  the  beginning 
of  the  Gospel ' '  in  Java,  when  I  departed  from  Amer- 
ica, "no  Church  had  fellowship  with  me  in  the  matter 
of  giving  and  receiving  but  ye  only;"  for  even  in 
Batavia  ye  sent  once  and  again  unto  my  need. 

"Not  that  I  seek  for  the  gift;  but  I  seek  for  the 
fruit  that  increaseth  to  your  account.    But  I  have  all 

117 


JAVA  AND  ITS  CHALLENGE. 

things  and  abound;  having'  received  from  'ithe  Board 
of  Foreign  Missions'  the  things  that  came  from  you, 
an  odor  of  a  sweet  smell,  a  sacrifice  acceptable,  well- 
pleasing  to  God." 

"And  my  God  shall  supply  every  need  of  yours 
according  to  His  riches  in  glory  in  Christ  Jesus." 

''Now  unto  our  God  and  Father  be  the  glory  for 
ever  and  ever.  Amen."  Salute  every  Leaguer  in 
Christ  Jesus.  "The  brethren  that  labor  with  me 
salute  you." 

"All  the  saints  salute  you,  especially  the  native 
converts. 

' '  The  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  be  with  your 
spirit. ' ' 

An.  old-time  letter  from  a  missionary  to  his  breth- 
ren, but  to  be  read  by  us  of  *the  present  time  with  the 
thought  of  our  missionary  in  Java  sending  to  us  the 
message  from  his  post  of  duty  across  the  sea. 

"But  I  rejoice  in  the  Lord  greatly,  that  now  at 
length  ye  have  revived  your  thought  for  me." 

Need  of  Woman  Worker. — From  the  very  begin- 
ning of  the  opening  of  the  mission  in  Java,  and  in- 
deed even  before  Mr.  Denyes  left  for  the  field,  ex- 
pression was  given  to  the  first  need  of  the  missi<m — a 
woman  missionary.  To  those  on  'the  field  it  doubtless 
seemed  long  until  there  was  an  answer  to  that  cry 
from  those  who  were  facing  the  burden  of  the  evan- 
gelization of  the  women.  But  finally  the  day  came 
when  the  missiomary  could  voice  with  Paul  the  words 
stated  above,  "But  I  rejoice  in  the  Lord  greatly,  that 
now  at  length  ye  have  revived  your  thought  for  me; 

118 


THE  WORK  AND  THE  WORKERS. 

wherein  ye  did  indeed  take  thought,  but  ye  lacked 
opportunity." 

1906. — In  the  fall  of  1906  application  was  made 
by  a  young  woman  of  the  Pittsburg  Conference  to 
go  to  Java  in  answer  to  the  pressing  need  in  the  field. 
Those  in  authority  thought  the  time  was  not  yet  to 
send  some  one  forth,  that  the  mission  was  as  yet  too 
much  in  its  infancy.  The  matter  of  finance  was  also 
a  problem,  and  it  was  permitted,  as  is  so  often  done, 
to  deaden  the  call  and  to  put  off  the  day  when  the 
windows  of  lieaven  might  be  opened  to  shower  bless- 
ing upon  the  senders. 

1907. — Again,  in  the  fall  of  1907,  the  matter  of 
the  sending  of  a  young  unmarried  woman  to  relieve 
Mrs.  Denyes  of  the  heavy  burden  she  was  so  bravely 
trying  to  carry  alone  was  brought  up  before  the  Con- 
ference authorities,  discussed,  and  they  determined  if 
the  Woman  ^s  Foreign  Missionary  Society  would  as- 
sume the  burden,  the  Conference  authorities  would 
stand  back  of  the  movement  and  assist  in  all  possible 
ways.  The  women  desired  to  assume  the  burden; 
but  the  heavy  debt  carried  by  the  Society  and  the 
emergency  calls  of  that  year,  made  pressing  because 
of  the  destruction  by  fire  of  so  many  of  their  buildings 
on  the  field,  made  it  impossible.  Again  they  must  say 
to  the  pressing  need  and  the  overburdened  workers, 
"Not  this  year." 

1908.— Still  again,  in  the  fall  of  1908,  the  woman's 
work  in  Java  was  before  the  Conference.  A  tentative 
action  was  'taken  that  if  the  Woman's  Society  would 
go  ahead,  all  right,  but  that  in  the  event  of  the  So- 

119 


JAVA  AND  ITS  CHALLENGE. 

ciety  having  unfavorable  action,  the  Conference'  young 
people  must  this  time  do  something  to  relieve  the 
situation . 

Mrs.  Oldham  Pleads  for  Java. — ^Mrs.  Oldham 
went  before  the  General  Executive  meeting  in  Cin- 
cinnati, in  October  of  1908,  and  made  an  impassioned 
plea  for  Java 's  fifteen  million  women.  She  plead  for 
Java,  as  only  one  who  had  been  there  and  seen  the 
existing  conditions  could  plead,  but  again  hopes  were 
crushed,  for  the  Woman's  Board  felt  it  imperative  to 
refrain  from  entering  Java  at  that  time. 

Mrs.  Oldham,  in  her  effort  to  enlist  the  sympathies 
of  the  executive  secretaries  and  through  them  the  in- 
terest of  the  women  of  Methodism,  forgot  self  in  the 
attempt  to  save  others,  and  was  forced  for  days  after- 
wards to  lie  upon  a  sick  bed  in  quiet  and  rest. 

Action  Taken. — It  was  with  joy  that  the  message 
was  taken  to  her  that  although  the  Woman 's  Foreign 
Missionary  Society  could  not  enter  the  field  in  the 
support  of  the  work,  that  the  Epworth  Leagues  of  the 
Pittsburg  Conference  would  try  to  extend  the  work 
by  raising  the  necessary  funds  and  sending  out  a 
young  woman  to  the  field.  It  was  possible  for  the 
League  to  take  this  action,  because  a  friend  of  the  Den- 
yes  family,  and  one  greatly  interested  in  the  cause  of 
missions,  himself  having  been  several  years  on  the 
mission  field,  agreed  that  if  the  Conference  would  raise 
one-half  the  amount  necessary  he  himself  would  give 
the  other  half  for  a  period  of  three  years. 

Changed  Plan. — The  same  young  woman  who  for 
three  years  had  looked  forward  to  the  time  when  she 

120 


Rkv.  J.   H.   Dknyks  and  Balok  Arpasad, 

Pastor  of  th«  Malay-Speaking  C\iurch  at  Pasar  Senen,  Batavia,  Java. 

See  page  ir,!,. 


THE  WORK  AND  THE  WORKERS. 

would  start  for  the  field  was  accepts  by  the  Board, 
and  arrangoinents  were  being  made  for  a  series  of 
farewell  rallies  in  the  Conference.  Within  three 
weeks  of  the  sailing  time,  because  of  serious  illness  in 
her  home,  the  writer  was  led  to  give  up  the  going 
and  the  appointment  of  Miss  Naomi  Ruth,  of  Indian- 
apolis, was  transferred  from  Penang,  where  Bishop 
Oldham  had  expected  to  send  her,  to  Batavia,  to  work 
among  the  women  of  Java. 

Beginnings. — The  beginnings  of  this  phase  of  the 
work  had  been  made  by  ]\Irs.  Denyes  in  her  own  home, 
and  she  had  already  gone  beyond  her  strength  in  try- 
ing to  meet  the  demands  upon  her  as  the  wife  of  a 
missionary.  A  small  room  had  been  fitted  up  in  the 
missionary 's  home  and  three  women  were  studying  to 
prepare  for  the  work  of  a  Bible  reader.  Two  days  a 
week  and  at  night  one  came  for  instruction,  the  other 
two  were  in  the  Bible  training  school  most  of  the 
time.  j\Iuch  has  grown  out  of  the  small  beginnings 
made  by  ^Irs.  Denyes,  and  although  she  has  been 
forced,  because  of  the  pressing  duties  of  her  home  and 
her  children,  to  give  up  some  of  the  work,  yet  she 
still  assumes  the  leadership  in  the  woman's  work  and 
has  left  her  influence  in  all  of  the  stations. 

Miss  Ruth. — IMiss  Ruth  came  from  her  home  in 
Indianapolis  and  spent  one  week  in  farewell  rallies, 
meeting  and  greeting  many  of  the  young  people  in 
the  Leagues  about  Pittsburg.  It  was  a  blessed  week 
of  service  for  the  ^Master  as  we  went  among  the 
Leagues  and  felt  the  pulse  of  the  chapters  throbbing 
a  little  irijore  firmly  for  Java.    The  Leaguers  were  in- 

121 


JAVA  AND  ITS  CHALLENGE. 

deed  reviving  their  thought  for  thei  work  in  the  send- 
ing forth  of  Miss  Ruth.  Her  sweet  Christian  life  left 
its  benediction  everywhere.  The  farewell  message  she 
gave  the  young  people  encouraged  them  to  increased 
endeavor  on  behalf  of  Java.  "You  have  driven  fur- 
ther the  stakes  and  tightened  the  ropes,  be  true  to  your 
part,  in  intercessory  prayer  for  Java." 

Sailed. — On  the  morning  of  November  26,  1908, 
Thanksgiving  Day  and  birthday,  Esther  Naomi  Ruth 
bade  farewell  to  the  home  circle  and  went  to  New 
York,  from  which  point  she  sailed  November  28th,  in 
company  with  Bishop  and  Mrs.  Oldham. 

First  Impressions. — An  interesting  account  of  her 
trip  and  her  first  impressions  of  the  field  are  given 
in  her  letter  in  Appendix  B.  Miss  Ruth  has  readily 
learned  the  Malay,  and  is  able  to  do  much  visiting 
among  the  people  telling  them  the  good  news  of  the 
Gospel. 

At  Work. — One  of  her  experiences,  of  which  she 
has  many,  will  serve  to  show  the  opportunity  for 
service  which  abounds  everywhere:  "She  is  only  a 
little,  solitary  grandmother,  but  there  is  a  day  coming 
when  'the  humble  shall  be  exalted.'  A  short  time 
ago  when  one  of  our  women  became  a  Christian,  Eda 
first  brought  attention  to  herself  by  her  opposition 
to  her  long-time  friend.  She  would  have  no  more  to 
do  with  Mary.  But  at  last,  her  heart  and  conscience 
aroused,  she  could  stand  it  no  longer,  and  she  turned 
again  to  Mary  to  inquire  concerning  her  new  faith. 
Having  attended  several  successive  Church  services, 
she  also  decided  to  follow  Christ. 

122 


THE  WORK  AND  THE  WORKERS. 

''On<3  day,  however,  when  I  called  at  Mary's,  Eda 
did  not  appear  as  she  had  done  previously,  when  she 
knew  that  I  was  calling  in  the  neighborhood.  I  there- 
fore went  to  her  home  to  make  sure  that  all  was  well. 
It  was  but  a  few  moments  until,  with  quivering  lip 
and  tearful  eyes,  she'  said  that  after  all  she  could  not 
be  a  Christian.  Her  son  did  not  encourage  her;  she 
was  poor  and  helpless ;  and  then,  anyway,  she  had  no 
learning.  She  was  very  sad  and  discouraged,  but  I 
began  at  onoe  to  lead  her  to  her  best  Friend.  Finally 
the  true  light  began  to  break  into  her  clouded  heart, 
and  relieved  smiles  played  over  her  tear-stained  face. 
After  prayer  together,  kneeling  on  the  bare  dirt 
floor,  she  said,  'When  may  I  become  a  member  of 
the  Church?  Sunday  night?'  The  other  day  she 
said  to  me,  '  Whenever  I  hear  the  story  of  Jesus '  death 
and  resurrection  and  remember  that  it  was  for  me,  I 
can  not  refrain  from  tears.'  I  am  assured  that  here 
is  one  more  immortal  soul  to  shine  to  His  glory 
throughout  eternity." 

SiEMA. — Mrs.  Denyes  sends  us  the  story  of  Siema. 
How  many  Siemas  yet  await  the  touch  of  the  Christ? 
''There  was  a  prayer-meeting  in  the  little  church  at 
Tanah  Abang  and  as  Siema  walked  do\Mi  the  street 
she  was  attracted  by  the  soimd  of  singing.  As  she 
reached  the  door  she  stopped  to  listen.  Surely  the 
preacher  was  speaking  of  something  that  was  lack- 
ing in  her  life.  She  thought  of  the  tumult  in  her  life 
and  wondered  if  the  joy  and  peace  of  which  the 
preacher  was  speaking  were  possibilities  for  such  as 
she  was.     For   Siema  was  like  thousands   of  other 

123 


JAVA  AND  ITS  CHALLENGE. 

women  in  this  land,  a  Mohammedan  woman  living 
with  a  Chinaman. 

**When  the  meeting  wa^  over  she  asked  one  of 
those  present,  whom  she  recognized  as  a  neighbor,  if 
one  must  pay  to  attend  such  meetings,  for  she  wanted 
to  hear  more  of  the  way  of  life.  The  next  meeting 
found  Siema  among  the  women  listening  with  open 
ears  and  heart,  for  she  would  not  lose  a  word  of  the 
good  news.  And  so  Siema  became  a  Christian.  Six 
weeks  passes  and  there  came  a  time  of  temptation. 
She  wanted  to  be  baptized  and  take  her  place  among 
the  Church  members.  But  the  man  with  whom  she 
was  living  was  not  her  husband,  and  he  would  not 
marry  her  as  a  Christian.  Entreaties  were  in  vain, 
and  she  came  to  realize  that  she  must  make  her  choice 
between  him  and  Christ.  With  no  persuasion  from 
the  missionary,  and  indeed  without  his  knowledge, 
she  decided  for  Christ,  which  to  her  meant  the  put- 
ting away  of  all  sin.  The  so-called  husband  was  left 
and  she  started  out  in  the  world  to  make  her  own 
way,  without  money  or  friends.  Her  time  of  proba- 
tion is  over.  She  has  thus  far  run  well.  On  New 
Year 's  day  she  came  asking  that  she  might  study  and 
prepare  herself  to  become  a  Bible  woman.  She  is 
proving  an  exceedingly  bright  pupil,  taking  readily 
to  all  her  studies,  living  humbly  without  the  luxuries 
that  might  have  been  hers,  and  looking  forward  jioy- 
fully  to  the  time  when  she  can  go  to  teach  others  of 
the  love  of  Ood." 

Special  Services. — Speeial  services  are  held  by 
the  missionaries  at  the  Churches  as  they  are  able  to 

124 


THE  WORK  AND  THE  WORKERS. 

concentrate  the  forces  for  revival  effort.  A  series  of 
such  meetings  was  held  in  June  at  the  Church  in 
Pasar  Senen.  Mrs.  Denyes  and  Miss  Ruth  both  send 
incidents  of  the  revival  which  tell  us  of  the  work  of 
the  Spirit  in  the  hearts  of  the  people. 

Personal  Work. — "Seated  in  a  little  shop,  fre- 
quented by  customers,  we  talked  with  a  little  Chinese 
woman,  who  for  some  months  had  been  a  professed 
Christian.  As  we  talked,  we  felt  the  Holy  Spirit  was 
dealing  definitely  with  her  heart. 

''Presently  the  question  was  directed,  'Shong  In, 
do  you  know  Jesus  as  your  Savior?  Has  He  come 
into  your  heart?' 

"Evasively  she  replied,  'Yes,  I  believe  in  Jesus, 
but  I  do  not  yet  understand  much  because  I  can  not 
read. ' 

"And  so  again,  prayerfully,  we  inquired,  'But 
Shong  In,  have  you  opened  your  heart  to  Him,  asked 
Him  to  forgive  your  sins  and  to  dwell  in  your  heart? 
Has  He  come?' 

"There  was  a  moment's  silence,  and  then,  sud- 
denly, her  head  dropped  to  the  table,  and  she  began 
pouring  forth  a  most  earnest  prayer  that  Jesus  would 
wash  away  her  sins  and  give  her  a  new  heart.  Yes, 
she  really  prayed,  prior  to  that  she  had  only  repealed 
the  Lord's  Prayer  from  memory. 

"After  some  instruction,  she  looked  up  with  a 
glad  smile,  saying,  'Yes,  He  has  come,  given  me  a 
new  heart,  and  I  am  so  happy.' 

' '  Her  prompt  testimony  at  the  Church  that  night, 
and  since,  rang  clear,  and  on  the  closing  night  of  the 

125 


JAVA  AND  ITS  CHALLENGE. 

meeting  she  and  her  husband,  according  to  their  own 
request,  were  united  by  Christian  marriage  ceremony, 
were  baptized  and  received  into  full  Church  mem- 
bership. ' ' 

Work  of  Bible  Women. — "The  revival  services 
began  and  at  the  close  of  the  first  service  three  Mo- 
hammedan women,  all  strangers  to  the  missionaries, 
rose  to  ask  that  they  might  have  the  prayers  of  the 
Christian  people  that  they  too  might  realize  the  sav- 
ing power  of  the  Christ.  Mohammedan  women  are 
not  so  easily  reached,  and  it  seemed  strange  that  they 
of  themselves  should  have  found  their  way  into  a 
Christian  service.  But  the  next  morning,  when  our 
Bible  women  were  called  together,  the  secret  was  re- 
vealed. 'Oh,  yes,'  said  one,  'they  are  women  that  I 
have  been  teaching  for  some  time.'  And  again  I 
realized  that  if  women  of  Java  are  to  be  reached  and 
won  for  Christ,  it  must  be  largely  by  those  of  their 
own  race  who  have  themselves  found  the  light.  Amina 
is  sixty  years  old  and  a  cripple,  but  after  a  year  or 
more  of  study,  she  is  leaving  our  training  school  to 
spend  the  remainder  of  her  life  in  telling  the  gospel 
story  to  her  own  Mohammedan  people.  Here,  briefly, 
is  her  story : 

The  Story  of  Amina. — ' '  She  grew  up  from  child- 
hood in  and  near  Batavia.  As  so  many,  many  of  the 
native  girls  are,  she  was  led  astray  by  a  European, 
whom  she '  followed '  for  many  years ;  but  on  his  return 
to  Europe  she  went  back  to  her  village.  Soon  she  met 
an  African  whom  she  'followed.'  He  treated  her 
kindly,  as  these  people  understand  kindness,  provid- 

126 


THE  WORK  AND  THE  WORKERS. 

ing  her  with  food  and  jewelry.  But  on  his  death, 
the  unsatisfied  want  of  her  life,  which  all  these  people 
have  who  do  not  know  the  love  of  Christ,  led  her  to 
start  on  that  long  pilgrimage  which  thousands  make 
every  year  to  JMecca.  In  ]\Iecca  Amina  hoped  to  find 
rest  and  peace.  The  pilgrimage  was  made  and  all  her 
savings,  three  thousand  guilders,  were  spent,  but 
Amina  returned  weary  of  heart,  for  she  had  not  found 
peace.  She  was  now  a  qualified  teacher  of  Islam,  and 
for  years  she  found  her  livelihood  in  this  way  and  was 
honored  by  the  name  ]\Ia  (mother)  Hadji. 

**One  day  as  she  found  her  way  through  her  vil- 
lage, a  little  more  sad,  a  little  more  weary,  because 
of  the  emptiness  of  her  life,  she  sought  work  at  the 
home  of  a  native  Christian.  There  she  first  heard  of 
the  One  who  can  satisfy.  Soon  she  found  her  way  to 
the  native  Church  where  she-  accepted  Christ.  It  was 
no  easy  task  for  one  of  her  age  to  master  the  a,  b,  c, 
but  persistence  and  humility  have  conquered,  and  she 
is  now  a  Bible  womatL.  Not  very  much  learning,  it 
is  true,  but  she  has  as  dauntless  courage  and  rich  ex- 
perience, and  she  promises  to  be  a  strong  power  for 
good." 

Results. — Thus  we  see  the  earnest  efforts  of  the 
missionaries  are  bearing  much  fruit.  The  hearts  of 
the  native  workers  and  'the  missionaries  rejoice  over 
these  who  are  being  won  to  the  Savior.  The  earnest, 
prayerful  testimonies  offered  in  the  services  and  the 
daily  living  for  Christ  is  rapidly  laying  a  strong  foun- 
dation of  the  young  Church  in  Java.  The  account  of 
the  work  in  the  mission  would  scarcely  be  complete 

127 


JAVA  AND  ITS  CHALLENGE. 

without  reference  at  least  to  the  special  Christmas 
services. 

Christmas  Box. — Each  year  since  the  opening  of 
the  mission  there  has  been  packed  and  sent  to  the 
fi^ld  a  Christmas  box.  The  young  people  have  tried 
to  send  the  things  most  desired  by  the  workers,  and 
the  gifts  have  made  possible  much  Christian  cheer  in 
those  places  where  the  Christmas  caro-l  has  but  re- 
cently been  sung.  Opening  Christmas  boxes  and  get- 
ting ready  for  Christmas  in  a  mission  is  a  serious 
business,  even  though  it  have  its  pleasure  and  joy. 
Everything  in  the  boxes  that  have  come  from  across 
the  seas  must  be  classified  and  sorted.  The  mission- 
aries begin  by  clearinig  off  the  tables  and  chairs  and 
laying  out  the  floor  in  sections  ready  for  the  gifts. 

Broken  toys  are  laid  aside  to  be  repaired  and 
given  out  during  the  year  where  they  will  do  the 
most  good,  for  they  must  not  be  used  at  the  Chrisitmas 
time.  The  cloth  must  all  be  measured  and  marked  and 
classified  according  to  its  suitability  for  use  by  the 
different  nationalities.  When  all  this  is  done,  the 
lists  of  the  members  from  the  various  Churches  are 
brought  out  and  the  toys  and  cloth  are  selected  and 
marked  with  the  individual  names,  and  packed  away 
to  await  the  time  of  distribution.  Such  are  the  prep- 
arations of  the  missionaries  in  Java,  as  they  look  for- 
ward to  the  Christmas  time. 

Christmas  Service. — Mr.  Denyes  describes  one 
Christmas  in  the  mission  and  the  others  have  all  been 
similar. 

Christmas  'entertainments  began  on  the  twenty- 

128 


THE  WORK  AND  THE  WORKERS. 

fourth  and  lasted  through  to  New  Year's  Day.  The 
service  at  each  church  was  characteristic  of  the  na- 
tionality of  the  members  of  that  church,  but  as  it 
would  be  impossible  to  attempt  to  describe  them  all, 
I  will  confine  my  descriptions  to  the  services  held  in 
the  church  at  Pasar  Senen,  Batavia.  This  church  is 
a  rented  house,  long  and  narrow  and  low,  with  no 
openings  for  light  or  air. save  the  doors  at  either  end. 
The  doorways  and  walls  were  decorated  with  wreaths 
and  palm  leaves  and  Berean  scroll  pictures,  and  in 
the  middle  of  the  front  of  the  church  was  a  large 
Christmas  tree,  glittering  with  tinsel  ornaments  sent 
in  by  the  American  consul.  By  7  P.  I\I.  the  room  was 
packed  to  its  utmos't  capacity.  The  crowd  on  the 
outside  effectually  stopped  the  entrance  or  exit  of 
air,  while  the  heat  was  intensified  by  several  large 
lamps  and  two  dozen  blazing  candles.  The  crowd 
was  hot  but  happy.  For  the  most  part  the  men  stood 
up  around  the  back,  the  women  occupied  the  body 
of  the  house,  and  in  front  forty  little  bodies  wriggled 
with  joy  in  the  steaming  atmosphere. 

In  this  crowd  were  about  as  many  nationalities 
represented  as  in  a  Peace  Congress.  The  language 
common  to  all  was  the  IMalay,  though  a  dozen  different 
tongues  were  represented.  More  than  half  the  peo- 
ple were  IMohammedans  or  ex-]\Iohammedans.  The 
preacher  and  his  family  are  real  Malays.  One  ex- 
horter  and  his  family  are  Javanese.  The  other  ex- 
horter  is  an  Ambonese  from  a  little  island  off  the  east 
coast  of  Java.  A  very  active  worker  in  the  Church 
is  a  young  man  from  the  island  of  Timor,  do^vn  to- 

9  129 


JAVA  AND  ITS  CHALLENGE. 

wards  New  Guinea.  There  were  present  also  a  Battak 
and  his  wife  from  Sumatra,  from  the  country  where 
years  ago  the  American  missionaries,  Munson  and 
Lyman,  were  murdered.  A  West  Indian  Negro  and 
a  Dutchman  brought  their  Malay  wives.  And  there 
were  also  Hakka,  Chinese,  Hokien-Chinese,  and 
Straits '-born  or  Baba  Chinese,  etc.  Sitting  well  up 
in  front  was  a  Malay  woman  who  had  been  a  hadji 
for  eighteen  years ;  that  is,  she  has  been  to  Mecca,  and 
has  been  a  teacher  of  Mohammedauism.  But  three 
months  ago  she  came  in  contact  with  one  of  our  Chris- 
tian families,  and  she  has  given  evidence  of  real  con- 
version. 

*'At  7  P.  M.  the  candles  were  lighted  on  the  tree 
and  the  program  began.  The  'old,  old  story'  was  read 
and  explained  by  the  missionary.  Then  a  modest  lit- 
tle Malay  girl  of  twenty  years,  with  a  sweet  voice,  led 
the  children  in  a  Christmas  song.  This  was  Anna,  the 
teacher  of  the  boys'  day  school.  Then,  as  afterward, 
in  her  own  quiet,  gentle  way  she  told  them  the  mean- 
ing of  the  Christmas  time,  one  could  not  but  thank  the 
great  Heavenly  Father  for  the  transforming  power  of 
His  grace. 

''When  the  preacher  asked  the  children  if  they 
were  thirsty  and  could  drink  some  lemonade,  there 
was  a  prompt  and  hearty  response.  So  lemonade  and 
cake  were  served.  When  order  was  restored  there 
was  a  short  address  by  an  ex-Roman  Catholic  Javar- 
nese,  and  another  by  Peter  Pietersz,  the  Ambonese 
exhorter.     Three  years  ago  Peter  was  a  drunken  ex- 

130 


The  First  Malay  Methodist  Quarterly  Conference, 

Nathanael  and   liis  People  at  Kanipong  Sawa. 


The  New  Church  Building  Erected  at  i.  .  .^'ong 
Sawa  in  1908  at  a  Cost  of  $100,  Gold. 

A  similar  Church  is  badly  needed  at  a  village  some  miles  from  tliere. 
Rev.  J.  R.  Denyos  and  Naihanael.  See  page  105. 


THE  WORK  AND  THE  WORKERS. 

soldier  with  a  wooden  leg,  who  eked  out  his  pension 
by  singing  vile  songs  to  the  accompaniment  of  a 
cracked  acoordicin»  in  the  native  sections  of  the  city. 
But  mercy  foimd  him  and  saved  him.  To-day  he  is 
untiring  in  his  efforts  for  the  salvation  of  the  people 
around  him,  and  the  Lord  has  blessed  his  efforts  with 
the  conversions  of  several  Mohammedans,  among  them 
the  hadji  woman  mentioned  above. 

*'So  ran  the  program,  songs,  prayer,  addresses,  and 
lastly,  presents  and  a  vote  of  thanks  to  you  in  the 
homeland. ' ' 

The  song  of  the  angels  so  many  centuries  ago, 
** Behold,  I  bring  you  good  tidings  of  great  joy,"  is 
yet  but  faintly  echoed  in  beautiful  Java.  Let  us  be 
increasingly  thankful  that  the  song  increases  in  vol- 
ume axid  that  each  Christmas  time  more  and  more 
are  hearing  of  the  Christ  child. 

]\Iagnitude  of  the  Work. — The  work  in  Java  is 
limited  only  by  the  inability  to  enter  the  villages  al- 
ready wide  open  to  the  missionar}^  God  never  called 
a  young  people  to  a  greater  task  or  to  a  larger  prob- 
lem. The?  evangelization  of  Java  is  a  big  proposition. 
The  fields  are  indeed  white  to  the  harvest.  The  eight 
American  missionaries,  with  'their  sixteen  native  help- 
ers, doing  the  work  of  the  mission  in  the  ten  native 
schools  and  fifteen  preaching  places,  have  gathered 
about  them  three  hundred  members  and  probationers. 
This  is  not  the  whole  of  the  story,  for  monthly  the  sit- 
uation is  changing.  Statistics  can  not  tell  all,  they 
but  state  some  facts.    The  workers,  our  substitutes  on 

131 


JAVA  AND  ITS  CHALLENGE. 

the  field,  are  giving  their  best  service  in  the  telling  of 
the  Story  and  the  uplifting  of  the  Cross  in  this  land 
of  the  Crescent.  We  who  must  uphold  their  hands  by- 
prayer  and  gifts  must  see  to  it  that  we  give  our  best 
here  in  order  that  the  best  may  come  to  the  Kingdom 
in  these  dark  places  where  others  labor.  And  is  our 
best  too  much  ? 


132 


CHAPTER  YIII. 
OPPORTUNITIES  AND  NEEDS. 

Beginning. — From  the  very  beginning  the  work 
in  Java  has  been  one  of  open  doors  on  every  hand. 
The  missionaries  in  India  were  destinjed  to  wait  and 
labor  many  years  before  baptizing  a  convert.  In 
China  the  gospel  w^as  preached  ten  years  ere  the  first 
follower  Avas  received.  ]\Ir.  Denyes  at  his  farewell 
service  in  Pittsburg  said:  ''This  is  your  time  of  trial. 
Waiting  far  tlie  beginning  of  the  ingathering  of  souls 
will  try  your  patience,  as  it  will  mine. ' '  In  one  city 
in  Java  a  Dutch  missionary  worked  for  six  years  and 
at  the  end  of  that  time  was  transferred  to  another 
place  without  having  seen  a  single  Chinese  or  native 
convert.  Another  missionary  came  and  worked  for 
sixteen  years  and  still  not  one  had  been  baptized. 

Bishop  Oldham  told  ]\Ir.  Denyes  as  he  left  Singa- 
pore for  Java,  ''You  will  do  well  if  you  get  into  Java 
by  the  beginning  of  1906."  No  one  expected  quick 
returns  or  early  results  from  the  first  efforts.  Two 
years  after  the  opening  of  the  work  in  Java  the  Bishop 
in  an  address  before  the  Pittsburg  young  people  said : 
"Was  ever  seal  of  God  so  manifestly  set  upon  a  mis- 
sion as  this !  God,  in  His  mercy,  knowing  that  young 
Christians  may  '  grow  T\^ary  in  well  doing, '  is  giving 

133 


JAVA  AND  ITS  CHALLENGE. 

such  early  fruitage  as  I  have  never  seen  in  a  Moham- 
medan land." 

Opportune  Moment. — Java  was  without  doubt  en- 
tered for  aggressive  missionary  conquest  at  the  oppor- 
tune moment.  ''There  is  no  part  of  the  Malaysia 
field  that  offers  such  opportunities  for  a  wide  spread- 
ing movement  as  Java. ' '  So  wrote;  Dr.  West  after  his 
first  official  visit  to  >the  mission,. 

Impressions. — Dr.  Goucher,  so  helpful  and  so  in- 
terested in  the  beginning  of  the  movement,  included 
Java  in  his  visitation  of  the  mission  fields  during  the 
India  Jubilee.  In  a  letter  to  the  writer  soon  after  his 
return  home,  he  said : ' '  The  work  is  developing  in  Java 
very  rapidly ;  in  fact,  I  Imow  of  no  field  which,  for  the 
time  it  has  been  opened,  has  made  such  progress.  The 
investment  is  a  good  one  and  well  worth  following  up 
in  a  generous  way.  Its  opportunities  are  almost 
boundless.  I  have  visited  no  field  in  all  our  mission 
work  that  seemed  to  me  so  thoroughly  ripe  for  culti- 
vation or  that  has  made  so  great  a  record  in  so  short 
a  time." 

Another  Jubilee  visitor  took  a  run  over  to  Java, 
Dr.  J.  Sumner  Stone,  of  New  York  City.  In  writing 
of  his  impression  of  the  Java  situation  he  tells  us: 
"I  came  away  convinced  that  Methodism  has  no- 
where a  better  opportunity  for  a  new  and  mighty 
work.  Climatic  conditions  are  favorable,  and  the 
population  is  ready  for  evangelization.  The  Chinese 
in  Java  are  kindly  disposed  to  Christianity  and  some 
of  them  were  converts  in  China.  They  are  ready  to 
co-operate  in  establishing  the  work.     Mr.  Denyes  is 

134 


OPPORTUNITIES  AND  NEEDS. 

winning  his  way  among  all  classes. ' '  Bishop  Oldham, 
giving  a  report  of  things  as  they  niow  are  in  Java, 
says :  '  *  Ponder  the  sentence,  there  are  almost  weekly 
baptisms  already  in  a  JMohammedan  land.  When  the 
full  force  of  this  sentence  enters  the  mind  and  heart 
of  the  people  at  home  there  will  be  heartfelt  thanks- 
giving for  the  demonstration  that, 

*  Jesua  shall  reign,  wher'er  the  sun, 
Doth  his  successive  journeys  run,* 

for  this  demonstration,  as  yet  in  the  small,  is  the 
prophecy  of  conquest  in  the  large,  and  the  conquest 
of  the  Crescent  is  the  sternest  enterprise  upon  which 
the  followers  of  the  Cross  wdll  enter  before  the  end 
comes.*' 

The  missionary  himself  writes,  ' '  I  am  simply  com- 
pelled to  turn  my  eyes  away  from  the  opportunities 
that  tlirust  themselves  like  open  doors  on  'every  hand. '  * 
Oh,  the  pathos  of  the  unused  opportunities! 

One  Open  Door. — A  short  time  ago  one  of  the 
Christians  went  out  ten  'miles  from  Batavia  to  a  vil- 
lage where  the  relatives  of  his  wife  live;  he  called 
the  pveople  together  for  a  meeting  in  the  home  of  his 
father-in-law,  who  is  himself  a  ]\Iohammedan.  The 
house  was  filled.  He  talked  with  them  till  2  o'clock 
in  the  morning,  showing  them  the  difference  between 
their  religion  and  Christianity.  At  2  o'clock  he  asked 
those  who  were  ^villing  to  enroll  themselves  as  learn- 
ers, provided  a  teacher  w^ould  be  sent  to  them,  to  give 
in  their  names.  Fifty-six  adult  Mohammedans  gave 
in  their  names,  but  there  was  no  money  in  the  mission 
budget  to  permit  of  the  employment  of  a  teacher. 

135 


JAVA  AND  ITS  CHALLENGE. 

This  is  not  an  isolated  ease — there  are  many  oppor- 
tunities such  as  this  coming  to  Mr.  Denyes. 

A  Pressing  Need. — A  pressing  need  is  the  ability 
to  enter  these  open  doors  and  put  a  pastor-teacher 
over  these  groups  of  people.  One  hundred  dollars  a 
year  will  support  one  of  these  pastor-teachers. 

Several  years  ago,  Dr.  G-oucher,  far-seeing  states- 
man that  he  is,  most  profoundly  affected  the  course 
of  the  Methodist  mission  in  India  by  creating  a  body 
of  day  schools,  whose  teachers  were  all  preachers  of 
Christianity.  The  fruit  of  these  schools  has  been  seen 
in  the  revival  'which  still  abides  in  India.  Java  awaits, 
so  says  Bishop  Oldham,  another  Goucher  who  will 
sow  the  fertile  soil  of  Java  with  humble  Christian 
schools. 

Recent  Developments. — ^Another  opportunity  that 
has  to  do  with  the  school  life  in  Java  is  of  recent 
development.  In  Netherlands,  India,  there  are  large 
numbers  of  very  intelligent  and  progressive  Chinese. 
There  are  many  organizations  among  them — 'the  one 
which  is  so  important  a  factor  in  educational  life  is 
the  Liong  Hwa  Hwe  Koan.  When  these  people,  who, 
through  their  organization,  stand  for  the  promotion 
of  education  and  patriotism  and  who  grant  religious 
freedom,  become  Christians,  they  will  be  stanch,  firm 
followers. 

Through  the  plan  of  Anglo-Chinese  schools  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Mission  in  the  Straits  Settlements 
much  sympathy  with  educational  mission  work  has 
been  aroused.  This  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  recently 
the  organization  petitioned  the  mission  to  supply  a 

136 


OPPORTUNITIES  AND  NEEDS. 

principal  for  their  English  school  in  Batavia.  They 
will  pay  the  salary,  also  they  have  requested  the  dis- 
trict superintendent  to  act  as  inspector  of  their  Eng- 
lish department.  Thus  a  door  of  great  opportunity 
swings  open  to  'the  Christian  Church.  Shall  it  be 
entered  ? 

Within  the  past  year  a  new  means  of  approach 
to  the  Javanese  has  come  through  the  "Budi  Utom.*' 
This  organization  is  summoning  the  people  to  follow 
after  education  and  so  prepare  themselves  the  better 
for  their  part  in  life.  "It  is  the  first  streak  of  a  new 
dawn  and  the  Methodist  Church  must  prepare  herself 
for  the  labors  of  the  mew  day." 

Where  five  years  ago  the  schoolhouse  would  not  be 
permitted,  it  is  to-day  demanded.  Urgent  calls  come 
for  the  teacher.  Mohammedanism  is  not  prepared  to 
meet  this  new  demand.  This  is  the  day  of  opportunity 
for  the  Christian  Church. 

Need  of  a  Medical  Missionary. — It  has  long  been 
the  experience  of  those  who  labor  for  the  gospel  in 
Mohammedan  lands,  and  consequently  who  have 
studied  deeply  into  the  questions  and  problems  of 
work  in  a  ]\Iohammedan  country,  that  the  greatest  en- 
tering wedge  of  all  is  through  the  medical  missionary. 
From  almost  the  time  of  ]\Ir.  Denyes's  first  letters  the 
Christian  physician  for  Java  has  been  mentioned. 
The  need  is  becoming  more  and  more  apparent,  and 
more  urgent  are  the  demands  being  pressed  upon  the 
home  Church  for  the  sending  forth  of  the  first  medi- 
cal missionary  from  America  to  this  virgin  field. 

A  man  who  was  about  to  build  a  home  on  a  beau- 

137 


JAVA  AND  ITS  CHALLENGE. 

tiful  terraced  hillside  discovered  iOn  a  near  hill  a  cer- 
tain kind  of  stone  which  he  desired  for  the  founda- 
tion. Workmen  were  engaged  to  dig  out  the  stone, 
but  their  efforts  were  fruitless.  All  attempts  at  find- 
ing a  place  to  secure  a  leverage  and  to  be  able  to  break 
the  stone  were  unavailing.  The  word  came  to  the 
man — ^the  stone  is  one  solid  mass,  it  can  not  be  broken. 
He  desired  it  very  much,  and  again  insisted  that  the 
workmen  should  look  further.  Again  they  returned  to 
him,  reporting  the  hopelessness  of  the  task.  Then  he 
himself  went  to  the  hillside.  He  spent  many  days 
looking  carefully  for  a  crack,  a  crevice,  an  entering 
wedge.  Almost  in  despair,  he  at  last  began  to  tear 
away  some  vines  and  clinging  verdure  and  continued 
his  search.  After  days  of  toil  he  was  rewarded  by 
finding  a  small  opening  barely  large  enough  for  the 
entrance  of  a  wedge,  but  large  enough  when  the  tool 
was  used  and  the  power  applied  to  be  the  beginning 
of  the  breaking  of  the  solid  mass  of  rock. 

There  is  a  seam  in  the  rock  of  Mohammedanism 
into  which  the  missionary  doctor  may  go,  and  there 
as  he  uses  the  chisel  of  love  and  sympathy  and  com- 
passion he  has  the  entrance  to  the  darkness  of  Moham- 
medanism vouchsafed,  to  no  other.  One  of  the  greatest 
opportunities  for  Christianity  in  Java  awaits  the  com- 
ing of  this  medical  missionary. 

As  one  of  the  July  days  of  the  past  summer  was 
drawing  to  a  close,  a  band  of  Christian  workers  sat 
on  ''Round  Top,"  not  at  Northfield,  but  in  a  Penn- 
sylvania town.  Hymns  of  praise  and  prayer  had  been 
floating  out  on  the  evening  air — ^now  the  leader  of  the 

138 


OPPORTUNITIES  AND  NEEDS. 

evening  vespers  was  speaking.  The  sun,  as  though 
loathe  to  sink  behind  the  beautiful  Blue  Ridge  hills, 
tarried  in  all  his  gorgeous  splendor.  The  writer  sat 
with  the  little  company  and  yet  not  of  the  company. 
On  the  opposite  hillside  was  the  foundation  and  be- 
ginnings of  a  new  hospital,  below  was  the  waiting 
village  in  which  lived  the  folk  who  some  day  would 
be  carried  by  ambulance  and  cot  within  the  wards  of 
that  hospital  to  be  cared  for  by  nurse  and  doctor. 
The  likeness  to  the  site  in  Java  awaiting  the  hospital 
and  the  other  buildings  was  in  the  writer's  mind. 
The  villages  lay  below  that  waiting  site  in  which  were 
people  in  greater  ne>ed  of  medical  attention  and  air, 
and  yet  the  site  was  still  untouched  by  mason 's  spade 
or  carpenter's  tool. 

The  cry  from  the  missionary  for  the  immediate 
occupancy  and  the  coming  of  the  medical  workers 
sounded  above  the  evening 's  message  that  night.  The 
vision  of  the  hospital,  the  preacher's  training  school, 
the  liill  school  nestling  against  the  waiting  hillside 
in  Java  became  very  real. 

May  it  not  be  many  months  until  the  doctor  and 
his  wife  are  on  their  way  to  Holland  to  qualify  under 
the  Dutch  Government  for  certificate  to  practice  medi- 
cine under  the  Dutch  flag,  and  after  six  months  or  a 
year  in  Holland  to  proceed  to  the  isle  where  such  an 
unparalleled  opportunity  in  a  Mohammedan  land 
awaits  them. 

Better  Equipment. — The  increased  numbers  in 
which  inquirers  are  seeking  the  mission  places  of  wor- 
ship makes  a  much  felt  need  of  better  equipped  build- 

139 


JAVA  AND  ITS  CHALLENGE. 

ings  in  which  to  meet  these 'peoples.  Chapels  may  be 
erected  for  $150  to  $200  gold,  that  will  do  service  for 
twenty  years  and  seat  one  hundred  and  fifty  people. 
Let  not  the  progress  lof  the  missionary  among  these 
people  be  stayed  for  lack  of  equipmient. 

Support  for  Native  Workers. — The  opening  of 
the  small  chapels  and  preaching  places  and  the  ap- 
pointment of  native  pastors  to  supervise  and  do  the 
work  in  the  absence  of  the  missionary  at  other  sta- 
tions creates  a  need  for  the  support  of  native  preach- 
ers. This  need  wall  constantly  be  increasing  and  is  a 
most  necessary  part  of  the  work.  The  great  mass  of 
non-Christian  peoples  must  be  reached  by  the  native 
workers.  It  remains  for  the  Christian  Church  to  see 
that  funds  sufficient  are  sent  to  the  field,  that  no  little 
group  of  inquirers  need  be  turned  away  because  of 
the  lack  of  funds  to  supply  a  native  pastor  at  $100 
a  year. 

Think  of  the  unused  opportunities  when  the  mis- 
sionary -miust  say,  "We  can  not  care  for  you  now.  Think 
of  the  heartache  of  the  missionary,  of  the  heartache 
of  the  Father  of  all  missionaries  and  of  the  Father 
whose  only  Son  died  on  Calvary 's  Cross  in  order  that 
those  natives  might  be  saved.  ''Not  yet  ready  for 
you."  Shall  that  be  the  answer  of  the  Christian 
Church  in  the  face  of  the  present  opportunity  in  Java  ? 

Work  Among  the  Women. — With  the  beginning 
of  the  work  among  the  women,  there  are  two  needs 
felt  which  for  the  time  at  least  are  greater  than  others : 
One  is  a  Bible  readers'  training  school,  where  the 
women  who  come  into  the  Church  onay,  if  they  desire, 

140 


Otto  A.  Carlson. 

See  page  110. 


Bishop  \V.    F.    Oldham. 

See  patje 


OPPORTUNITIES  AND  NEEDS. 

be  taught  to  do  the  house-to-house  visiting  and  work 
among  the  women  and  girls  of  Java.  The  women 
and  girls  in  Java  shall  know  of  Christ  in  proportion 
as  His  story  is  told  them  by  the  Christian  women 
of  America  and  the  Continent.  The  women  must 
reach  the  women.  Hence  the  necessity  of  preparing 
these  native  women  and  girls  who  are  early  gathering 
into  the  mission.  A  beginning  has  been  made  toward 
a  fund  for  a  training  school,  Mi.sis  Ruth's  friends 
having  sent  her  two  hundred  dollars  toward  the  meet- 
ing of  this  need. 

Support  of  Bible  AYomen. — The  second  n-eed,  the 
support  of  Bible  women,  is  a  natural  outgrowth  of 
the  work  of  the  training  school.  When  these  women 
are  prepared  to  go  from  house  to  house  Ave  of  the 
West  should  make  it  possible  for  them  to  live  and 
to  teach  their  sisters  of  Christ.  Sixty  dollars  a  year 
will  support  a  Bible  woman  and  thirty  dollars  a  year 
will  keep  a  girl  in  training  in  the  school. 

A  Missionary  Home. — A  missionary  home  in  Ba- 
tavia,  Buitenzorg,  and  Tjisaroea  are  needs  which  have 
been  felt  since  the  beginning.  If  the  mission  oANTied 
its  own  property  the  payment  of  rents  for  the  houses 
and  Church  buildings  would  cease  to  draw  on  the 
annual  budget  and  it  could  be  preserved  for  the  en- 
trance of  new  work.  The  only  property  o\Maed  is  the 
Church  property  at  Buitenzorg,  and  it  has  still  a 
small  debt  on  the  building. 

Keyword. — Urgent  needs  and  boundless  opportu- 
nities await  the  Christian  Church.  ^^Giz  ang  hati," 
** joyous,*'  ''eager  hearted,"  is  the  keyword  by  which 

141 


JAVA  AND  ITS  CHALLENGE. 

tht  native  Christians  express  themselves  when  speak- 
ing of  the  new  faith  among  them.  Shall  not  the  people 
of  the  West,  to  whom  they  look  for  sympathy  and 
help,  show  them  that  the  spirit  of  Christianity, 
whether  in  the  Orient  or  the  Occident,  is  ''joyous," 
''eager  hearted"  everywhere,  and  joyously,  eagerly 
give  themselves  to  the  doing  of  the  task  ? 

Divine  Leadership. — Divine  leadership  has  been 
the  dominant  characteristic  of  these  first  years  in 
Java.  A  living  Christ  and  One  who  is  ever  present  is 
in  eommand  of  this  work.  He  laid  the  command  on 
His  children  and  they  went.  They  went  expecting 
to  find  walls  to  fell,  aad  lo !  the  walls  are  down.  He 
throws  open  doors  on  every  hand  and  gives  glad  op- 
portunities of  progress. 

The  beginnings  mark  divine  leadership.  The 
greatest  need  in  the  work  to-day,  both  from  the  stand- 
point of  the  home  base  and  of  the  field,  is  divine 
leadership. 

A  Passion. — The  evangelization  of  Java  can  not 
be  an  impulse,  it  must  be  a  passion.  Many  of  "the 
other  sheep"  He  has,  that  must  be  brought  before 
there  can  be  one  fold  and  one  shepherd,  are  in  Java. 
There  must  be  the  divine  passion  and  the  divine  com- 
passion of  the  Shepherd  of  souls  who  seeks  "till  He 
find  it." 

"O  tender  Shepherd,  climbing  rugged  mountains, 
And  wading  waters  deep, 
How  long  wouldst  Thou  be  willing  to  go  homeless 
To  find  a  straying  sheep? 

142 


OPPORTUNITIES  AND  NEEDS. 

'  I  count  no  time,'  the  Shepherd  gently  answered, 

'  As  thou  dost  count,  and  bind 
The  days  in  weeks,  the  weeks  in  months ;  my  counting 

Is  just  until  I  find.' 
And  that  would  be  the  limit  of  my  journey. 

I  'd.  cross  the  waters  deep, 
And  climb  the  hillsides  with  unfailing  patience 
Until  I  found  My  sheep." 

So  in  Java  it  must  be  the  passion  to  seek  until  we 
find  the  sheep.  We  are  in  partnership  wnth  Him  who 
led  into  Java,  and  He  must  always  be  the  senior 
member  of  the  firm.  Java  for  Christ  in  this  genera- 
tion is  not  an  idle  dream.    It  may  be  a  blessed  reality. 

Faithfulness. — But  one  thing  is  required,  not 
only  of  those  who  under  God  were  promoters  in  the 
first  days,  but  of  those  who  have  now  put  their  shoul- 
ders to  the  wheel  and  of  those  who  will  give  themselves 
to  the  task,  that  one  thing  is  faithfulness.  At  the 
battle  of  Marengo,  Napoleon's  drummer  boy  was  or- 
dered to  beat  a  retreat  when  the  battle  seemed  lost. 
But  insJtead  the  boy  cried  out,  ' '  Sire,  you  never  taught 
me  to  beat  a  retreat,  but  I  can  beat  a  charge.'' 

"Beat  it  then,"  responded  his  commander.  The 
sound  of  the  charge  went  down  the  faltering  line,  the 
company  rallied,  and  won  the  \nctory. 

There  have  been  crises  in  the  Java  work.  There 
have  been  those  who  ordered  a  retreat  to  be  beaten, 
but,  thank  God!  "'the  Pittsburg  j^oungsters"  stood 
firm  in  those  hours.  There  is  no  retreat  to  be  sounded. 
The  charge  of  the  ages  soimds,  ' '  Go  diseiple  ^ly  pe»o- 
pie."     The  One  from  whose  lips  came  the  command 

143 


JAVA  AND  ITS  CHALLENGE. 

has  never  ordered  a  retreat.  Tlie  challenge  comes 
across  the  waters,  ''Come,  for  all  things  are  ready.'* 
To  most  the  answer  will  mean  but  the  giving  of  money 
and  prayer  to  support  the  work ;  to  others  it  will  mean 
the  giving  of  self  to  go  and  strengthen  the  hands  of 
their  pioneer  American  missionaries  in  Java  and  the 
doing  of  the  ever-enlarging  work  among  those  Moham- 
medan peoples.  God's  call  is  forward.  Whether  it 
is  ours  to  share  the  ministry  of  prayer,  the  ministry  of 
gifts,  or  the  ministry  of  self.  He  Himself  will  show. 
The  day  is  coming  when  far-off  Java,  resplendent  in 
the  beauties  of  nature  and  rich  in  tropical  wealth, 
yet  darkened  by  sin  and  bruised  in  following  after 
other  gods,  shall 

*'  To  Him  all  majesty  ascribe 
And  crown  Him  Lord  of  all." 

How  large  a  share  the  young  people  who  began  the 
work  will  continue  to  have  in  the  bringing  of  this 
glad  day  in  Java  will  depend  on  their  faithfulness  to 
present  opportunity.  The  task  is  before  the  Church, 
The  Cross  or  the  Crescent  in  Java.  Jesus  Christ  or 
Mohammed  for  Java.    "What  shall  the  answer  be? 


144 


APPENDIX. 


10  145 


APPENDIX  A. 

REPORTS  OF  THE  JAVA  WORK  FROM  THE 

MINUTES  OF  THE  MALAYSIA  ANNUAL 

CONFERENCE. 

SINGAPORE  DISTRICT. 

"The  Pittsburg  Conference  has  undertaken  to 
raise  the  su'ini  of  four  thousand  dollars  a  year  for  five 
years  in  order  to  open  new  work  in  ^lalaysia,  and 
they  have  selected  Brother  Denyes  as  the  man  whom 
they  wish  to  do  this  work.  Northwestern  University 
has  also  promised  to  raise  a  sum  to  assist  in  the  same 
work.  The  most  of  the  money  for  the  first  year  is 
already  in  the  bank  at  Singapore.  These  facts  make 
plain  to  us  that  the  Church  at  home  is  demanding  that 
the  world  be  evangelized,  and  it  behooves  as  to  see  to 
it  that  we  carry  out  their  behest  while  we  remember, 
itoo,  that  in  so  doing  we  are  fulfilling  the  connnand  of 
the  Lord  Himself  that  we  *  disciple  all  nations.'  " 
B.  F.  West,  Presiding  Elder. 

(The  above  was  t-aken  from  the  ^linutes  of  the 
thirteenth  session  of  the  Malaysia  Conference,  held  in 
Kuala  Lumper,  February,  1905.  It  was  at  this  Con- 
ference that  the  appK)in'tment  of  ]Mr.  Denyes  to  Java 
was  read.) 

1905. 

Java. — I  went  with  Brother  Denyes  to  Java  in 
March.  We  went  to  Batavia,  got  our  six  months'  per- 
mits, and  proceeded  to  do  the  island.     We  went  by 

147 


APPENDIX. 

train  to  the  far  eastern  end  of  the  island,  to  Soura- 
baya  land  then  went  down  to  Lawang  to  visit  Mr. 
Penninga,  the  British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society 
agent,  with  whom  we  took  counsel.  We  then  visited 
Modjowemo,  the  most  successful  mission  station  in 
(the  whole  of  Java,  then  to  the  north  coast,  Samarang, 
to  see  the  work  of  the  Salvation  Army,  then  to  Cen- 
tral Java,  Djokjakarta,  in  the  most  densely  populated 
part  of  the  island,  and  from  there  back  to  Batavia. 
We  ^udied  the  situation  for  several  days,  and  the  net 
result  of  our  conclusion  was  that  we  ought  to  begin 
our  work  at  or  in  the  vicinity  of  Batavia,  Applica- 
tion was  made  to  the  government  for  permission  to 
establish  our  mission  in  the  island.  We  held  a  service 
in  the  English  Church  at  Batavia  and  daily  kept 
gathering  facts.  We  found  that  Java  has  a  popula- 
tion of  over  32,000,000,  there  being  277,263  Chinese 
among  these,  that  there  are  14,089  Christians  all  told, 
that  the  Christian  Reformed  Church,  the  Java  Com- 
mittee, the  Salatiga  Mission,  the  Baptists,  the  Salva- 
tion Army,  and  the  Nederlands  Missionary  Society 
were  at  work  in  the  island.  I  then  returned  to  Singa- 
pore, and  left  Brother  Denyes  to  study  Dutch  and  the 
problems  incident  to  opening  a  new  mission. 

Brother  Denyes  reports  as  follows  in  regard  to  his 
work  in  Java:  ''The  real  work  in  Java  began  when 
I  returned  from  Singapore  with  Mrs.  Denyes  and  the 
children  in  the  middle  of  July.  We  reached  Batavia 
July  23d,  and  remained  there  two  weeks,  while  looking 
for  a  house  in  Buitenzorg.  We  have  thus  had  less  than 
six  months  in  which  ito  work.  During  that  time  we 
have  held  a  regular  weekly  service  in  the  English 
Protestant  Church,  Batavia.  The  attendance  has 
been  small,  but  there  has  been  some  spiritual  advance. 
In  Buitenzorg  we  were  unable  to  open  a  church  at 
once,  as  we  had  no  permit  from  the  government. 
By  the  time  this  came  we  had  gathered  around  us  a 

148 


APPENDIX. 

little  group  of  six  Chinese,  two  women  and  four  men. 
On  the  fifth  of  November  these  were  organized  intx> 
a  Church,  the  First  ]\Iethodist  Church  of  Java.  This 
Church  has  grown  until  now  there  are  twelve  proba- 
tioners. A  good  building  has  been  rented  in  a  suitable 
section  of  the  city,  and  the  prospects  of  a  rapid  in- 
crease in  membership  are  good. 

On  the  12th  of  November  I  took  over  an  inde- 
pendent Chinese  Church  on  the  outskirts  of  Batavia, 
baptizing  eleven  adult  Chinese.  This  Church  wa.s  the 
result  of  the  work  of  a  Christian  Malay  man,  who  had 
started  a  little  school  for  boys  and  girls.  As  he  be- 
came acquainted  with  the  parents,  he  taught  them 
the  gospel.  This  Church  has  now  a  membership  of 
fourteen  full  members^  and  eleven  probationers.  There 
is  also  a  school  of  fourteen  boys  and  girls. 

^Irs.  Denyes  is  teaching  ten  women  to  read  roman- 
ized  Malay,  and  has  also  one  woman  who  is  gi\^ng 
her  whole  time  to  study,  with  the  intention  of  becom- 
ing a  Bible  woman.  We  have  one  young  man  already 
in  the  Bible  Training  School  in  Singapore  preparing 
for  ithe  ministry,  and  another  will  probably  go  during 
the  coming  year. 

We  have  been  obliged  to  spend  considerable  time 
this  year  on  the  study  of  Malay,  Dutch,  and  Sun- 
dan  ese.  ' ' 

The  vision  w^hich  was  shown  Brother  Denyes  has 
more  than  materialized,  it  has  grown  with  the  months, 
and  now  beckons  us  on  to  greater  tilings  than  the 
most  sanguine  hoped  for. 

B.  F.  West,  Presiding  Elder. 

WOMAN'S  CONFERENCE. 

Greetings  to  the  Woman's  Conference  of  1906: 
This  is  the  third  Conference  in  succession  that  I  have 
been  obliged  to  miss,  and  I  feel  ver>'  keenly  the  lo8s 

149 


APPENDIX. 

of  fellowship  and  counsel -of  these  gatherings.  But 
the  expense  of  traveling  was  too  great  to  warrant  my 
going  this  year. 

My  report  is  certainly  one  of  beginnings,  for  we 
have  not  been  in  one  place  long  enough  to  really  ac- 
complish much.  The  first  six  months  after  last  Con- 
ference I  remained  in  the  boarding  school  to  help  Mr. 
Pease  while  Mr.  Denyes  was  away  on  the  initial  trip 
to  Java. 

On  the  23d  of  July  we  reached  Java,  happy  to 
reach  the  field  to  which  we  had  long  looked  forward. 
We  spent  fifteen  days  only  in  Batavia  before  going 
on  to  Buitenzorg,  where  the  bishop  had  advised  us 
to  live.  Although  I  could  not  but  feel  that  the  good 
of  the  work  required  us  to  live  in  Buitenzorg,  yet  I 
longed  to  stay  in  Batavia.  There  seemed  to  be  so 
many  opportunities  there,  especially  among  the  Eng- 
lish people. 

Our  stay  in  Batavia  left  many  pleasant  miemories. 
Beautiful  flowers,  prepared  for  our  arrival,  certainly 
made  us  feel  that  a  welcome  wa^  awaiting  us.  One 
day  I  stepped  into  the  bank  and  you  may  imagine 
my  delight  when  I  was  greeted  by  one  'of  my  old 
Singapore  boarding  school  boys,  Sian  Hock.  "We 
gladly  accepted  his  invitation  to  visit  his  beautiful 
home  and  meet  his  wife  and  family.  It  was  a  pleas- 
pleasure  to  sing  again  the  songs  we  used  to  sing  to- 
gether in  Oldham  Hall.  And  how  I  enjoyed  the 
afternoon  that  In  Teck  spent  with  us.  After  these 
years  the  life  at  Singapore  had  not  been  without  its 
effect.  ''I  simply  can  not  work  on  Sunday,"  he  said. 
The  habit  of  Sunday  observance  had  been  so  im- 
pressed upon  him  that  he  would  not  work  on  that 
day. 

At  the  end  of  two  weeks  we  moved  to  Buitenzorg. 
We  had  been  up  a  few  days  before  and  purchased  a 
bed  and  a  table  and  rented  a  house.    It  was  a  rather 

150 


E.  Naomi  Ruth. 

See  page  121. 


J  AVAN KSK    WoMKX  , 


See  7>aflre  lUO. 


APPENDIX. 

limited  supply  of  furniture,  but  we  were  anxious  to 
get  into  our  own  home,  although  I  had  many  misgiv- 
ings as  I  thought  of  housekeeping  in  a  strange  land 
with  a  strange  people.  But  imagine  our  surprise 
when  we  entered  our  house  to  find  it  fitted  up  with 
tables,  chairs,  and  almeirahs,  etc.,  kindly  loaned  by 
a  neighlx)r.  So  we  lived  with  our  neighbor's  furni- 
ture until  we  could  have  some  made.  We  were  indeed 
grateful  for  the  help  of  these  kind  friends. 

These  six  montlis  have  been  very  full.  Language 
study  has  taken  up  much  of  our  time.  Our  Malay 
has  had  to  undergo  many  changes,  and  Dutch  has 
had  to  be  studied.  We  have  hardly  made  a  start  in 
Sundanese,  as  all  the  Sundanese  must  be  learned 
through  the  medium  of  Dutch,  therefore  the  Dutch 
must  come  first. 

Soon  after  we  reached  Buitenzorg,  a  Chinaman 
came  to  Mr.  Denyes  wanting  to  become  a  Christian. 
He  had  heard  about  Christianity  in  China,  and  now 
he  wanted  to  learn  more.  His  wife  came  with  him. 
I  asked  her  if  she,  too,  wanted  to  become  a  Christian. 
She  knew  nothing  about  this  religion,  but  she  was  will- 
ing for  her  husband  to  join  and  she  would  learn. 
So  two  days  a  week  the  wife  came  to  me,  while  the 
husband  w4th  other  men  came  at  night  to  Mr.  Denyes. 
Then  the  woman  became  so  interested  that  she  also 
came  at  night.  In  this  way  she  made  marked  progress, 
and  has  now  finished  the  primer  and  reads  the  hymns 
freely.  She  is  forty-two  years  old.  The  other  day 
her  husband  said  to  ]Mr.  Denyes,  "]\Iy  wife  is  much 
more  patient  in  the  house  since  she  was  converted." 
This  couple  seem  to  have  really  accepted  Christ  ncit 
only  with  the  head,  but  with  the  heart  also. 

Soon  after  this  woman,  Si  Cheng,  began  to  strug- 
gle with  her  a,  b,  c,  a  cousin,  a  widow  forty -seven  years 
old,  came  to  stay  with  her.  She,  Sin  Neo,  wanted  to 
be  taught  also.    When  she  was  a  very  little  girl  her 

151 


APPENDIX. 

uncle  had  begun  to  teach,  her  the  alphabet.  But  be- 
fore she  had  mastered  all  the  letters,  her  uncle  died. 
Now,  after  forty  years  she  had  come  to  finish  her  al- 
phabet, and,  I  trust,  to  learn  of  Christ.  After  two 
months  she  felt  that  she  must  return  to  her  daughter 
and  work,  but  seeing  in  her  what  I  thought  the  making 
of  a  Bible  woman,  I  proposed  that  she  remain  with 
me  and  prepare  herself  for  teaching.  She  stayed,  and 
for  the  last  two  months  has  been  giving  her  whole 
tijue  to  study.  She  lives  in  a  little  room  in  our  serv- 
ants' quarters  and  is  making  good  progress  in  her 
studies.  We  are  praying  that  ,she  may  grow  into  a 
real  worker  in  this  needy  field. 

Our  Sunday  evening  services  were  held  in  our 
own  kome  until  November  19th,  when  we  rented  a 
building  in  the  Chinese  section.  Since  then  we  have, 
beside  our  Sunday  service,  throe  week-night  meetings. 
These  meetings  take  the  form  of  a  Sunday  school. 
After  the  opening  exercises  the  men  go  to  another 
room,  while  the  women  and  girls  remain  wdth  me. 
We  have  in  the  woman's  department  an  average  of 
ten  in  attendance.  The  Bible  stories  are  ever  full  of 
interest  to  them,  and  even  the  primer  has  a  charm, 
as  they  can  now  all  read  some.  Most  of  the  women 
are  Moham.medans,  but  we  have  hopes  of  leading  even 
them  to  the  Saviour.  One  of  the  Mohammedan  women, 
the  wife  of  a  Chinaman,  could  not  be  persuaded  to 
attend  our  services  at  first,  although  her  husband  was 
a  probationer.  Her  husband  took  home  a  catechism 
which  she  read.  Then  she  ventured  to  attend  a  serv- 
ice. The  next  m.oming  she  told  her  parents  that 
she  had  read  about  Christianity,  and  that  then  she 
had  gone  to  church  and  heard  about  it,  and  that  she 
was  persuaded  that  it  was  a  better  religion  than  Mo- 
hammedanism. Persecution  followed  this  and  she 
stopped  attending  the  services.  But  this  morning  she 
was  at  our  home  with  her  husband  and  said  she  wanted 

152 


APPENDIX. 

to  wait  one  month  more,  and  then,  if  all  was  well,  she 
would  be  married  to  her  husband  according  to  Chris- 
tian rites  end  become  a  Christian. 

With  the  English  people  in  Batavia  I  have  hardly 
become  acquainted.  I  have  enjoyed  the  little  I  have 
been  among  them,  but  distance  and  expense  limit  pos- 
sibilities of  work.  We  had  a  pleasant  and  profitable 
Christmas  service  which  was  well  attended. 

Our  Chinese  Church  at  Karet  I  have  been  unable 
to  visit  because  of  the  distance,  not  being  able  to 
leave  the  children.  There  are  only  two  women  mem- 
bers there  and  twenty-five  men.  They  certainly  need 
help. 

A  mission  in  a  new  country  aboimds  in  problems 
and  perplexities  not  always  easy  to  solve,  but  we  have 
great  reason  to  thank  God  for  His  manifest  presence 
with  us. 

Your  fellow-worker  in  His  service, 

Mary  Owens  Denyes. 


1906. 

SINGAPORE  DISTRICT. 

Java. — At  the  time  of  the  Annual  Conference  a 
year  ago  there  'were  in  Java  two  native  ^Methodist 
Episcopal  Churches  with  thirty-nine  members  and 
probationers,  a  beginning  of  a  woman's  training 
school  and  a  weekly  English  service.  This  Conference 
year  closes  with  five  native  churches,  three  day  schools, 
a  woman's  training  school,  and  a  regular  service  for 
the  English  people  of  Batavia.  The  aggregate  mem- 
bership is  forty -nine  full  members  and  one  hundred 
and  eighty-five  probationers,  exclusive  of  some  sixty 
baptized  children  imder  ten  years  of  age,  and  sixty 
children  in  our  schools. 

153 


APPENDIX. 

Because  of  the  inaceessibility  and  petty  persecu- 
tions we  found  it  wise  to  abandon  our  church  at  the 
village  of  Karet  during  the  latter  part  of  the  year 
and  open  a  station  on  the  main  road  a  short  distance 
away.  Many  of  those  on  probation  have  become 
frightened  and  we  have  lost  them,  but  those  who  had 
been  baptized  are  for  the  most  part  still  faithful. 

At  Buitenzorg  the  Church  .has  had  a  good  year. 
There  has  been  no  large  increase  in  membership,  but 
there  has  been  a  steady  growth  in  intensity  of  spir- 
itual life.  Dr.  West  visited  us  in  August  and  held 
a  week  of  special  services,  which  were  very  helpful 
to  the  people.  In  May,  Khu  Chiang  Bi,  of  Penang, 
was  transferred  to  Java,  and  put  in  charge  of  the 
Buitenzorg  Church.  The  congregations  have  been 
large  and  the  interest  good,  and  I  anticipate  a  rapid 
and  solid  growth  during  the  year. 

In  April,  1906,  a  preaching  place  was  opened  at 
Pasar  Senen,  Weltevreden,  and  Balok  Arpasad  was 
put  in  charge.  He  is  a  Malay,  but  his  congregation 
is  made  up  of  Hakkas,  Babas,  and  Javanese.  This 
congregation  has  grown  very  rapidly  and  the  people 
are  loyal  to  the  Church.  The  preacher  is  a  good 
speaker  and  an  untiring  pastor. 

In  connection  with  this  Church  there  is  a  co-edu- 
cational school  where  the  Malay  language  is  taught. 
There  are  twenty-five  boys  and  girls  in  attendance. 
The  teacher  is  the  niece  of  the  pastor,  an  eighteen- 
year-old  Malay  girl.  Among  the  pupils  are  eight  chil- 
dren of  Mohammedan  parents. 

About  the  1st  of  June  another  preaching  place 
was  opened  at  Tanah  Abang,  also  under  the  care  of 
Balok  Arpasad.  A  number  of  those  who  had  left 
Karet  were  gathered  into  this  Church  and  made  the 
nucleus  of  the  new  work.  But  it  was  soon  found  that 
the  people  of  Tanah  Abang  were  Hokkiens  with  but 

154 


APPENDIX. 

little  knowledge  of  Malay.  About  this  time  a  young 
Hokkien  man  from  China  applied  for  work  and  was 
taken  on  trial.  After  two  months  with  Chiang  Bi 
learning  Malay  he  was  put  in  charge  at  Tanah  Abang. 
For  a  new  man  he  has  been  fairly  successful  in  reach- 
ing the  people. 

During  the  year  we  took  over  a  ^lalay  congrega- 
tion that  had  gone  out  from  the  Romian  Catholics. 
There  were  about  seventy  adults  and  thirty-five  chil- 
dren. They  were  all  taken  on  probation  only.  They 
are  fairly  true  to  the  legal  requirements  of  Chris- 
tianity, but  have  little  grasp  of  real  spirituality.  Al- 
ready, however,  there  has  been  a  distinct  advance 
in  religious  activities.  ]\Ien  who  have  not  been  to 
Church  for  years  are  coming  again,  seeking  to  be 
reinstated  as  Church  members.  I  have  taken  in  direct 
from  Mohammedanism  some  five  or  six  adults  and  a 
number  of  children. 

The  last  station  to  be  opened  was  at  Tjisaroea,  fif- 
teen miles  from  Buitenzorg.  At  this  place  there  is  an 
estate  owned  by  a  family  of  Dutch  Christians.  At 
their  invitation  I  went  there  about  the  middle  of 
January  of  this  year  and  formed  a  little  group  of 
seven  Christians  into  a  Church,  with  one  of  them  in 
charge  of  the  services.  A  bamboo  building  15  by  30 
feet  was  put  up,  and  on  the  first  ^Monday  in  February 
a  school  was  opened  with  two  boys  and  one  girl.  By 
the  end  of  the  week  there  were  fifteen  ]\Iohainmedan 
children  in  attendance  with  the  promise  of  more. 

In  addition  to  these  appointments  we  have  opened 
an  Anglo-Chinese  school  at  Buitenzorg.  There  were 
only  six  pupils  when  we  began  July  1st,  but  there  are 
now  twenty,  and  we  expect  a  number  more  after  Chi- 
nese New  Year.  We  hope  to  see  this  school  entirely 
eelf-supporting  by  the  end  of  the  present  year. 

The  woman's  training  school  started  by  ^Irs.  Den- 

155 


APPENDIX. 

yes  in  1905  has  been  kept-  up,  and  three  women  are 
in  attendance.  Of  these  one  is  about  ready  for  service 
as  a  Bible  woman. 

No  brief  statement  can  give  an  adequate  idea  of 
the  needs  or  opportunities  of  Christian  service  in  the 
island  of  Java.  The  field  is  open  to  the  gospel  and 
earnest  service  is  certain  of  abundant  reward. 

-W.  T.  Cherry,  Acting  Presiding  Elder. 

WOMAN'S  CONFERENCE. 

The  report  from  this  comer  of  the  field  must  nec- 
essarily take  the  form  of  a  statement  of  the  condi- 
tions of  woman's  work  and  its  needs  rather  than  a 
record  of  work  accom-plished,  for  I  am  the  only  one 
in  Java  whose  report  comes  to  this  Conferenoe.  There 
are  now  in  the  territory  assigned  to  us  five  native 
Churches,  one  English  Church,  three  day  schools,  and 
a  woman's  training  school.  There  lare  various 
Churches  and  schools  situated  long  distances  apart, 
a.nd  soime  of  them  are  difficult  of  access.  One  of  them 
I  have  not  been  able  to  visit  even  once  during  the 
year.  There  were  services  in  the  Chinese  Church 
four  evenings  each  week,  and  during  the  first  few 
months  I  attended  almost  every  meeting,  teaching  the 
women  to  read  and  sing.  There  were  always  from 
eight  to  twenty  women  present  and  all  eager  to  learn. 
The  women  have  shown  a  remarkable  constancy  in 
the  Church  attendance,  although  there  is  rain  nearly 
everj^  evening  in  the  year.  Some  months  ago,  a  young 
business  man  began  to  attend  our  services.  His 
mother  became  angry.  She  begged  and  threatened 
and  made  offerings  at  the  temple.  But  at  last  her 
son  persuaded  her  to  attend  one  service.  She  came 
once  to  see,  and  since  that  time  has  never  been  ab- 
sent from  a  meeting  when  it  was  possible  to  attend. 

156 


APPENDIX. 

She  has  not  yet  taken  a  stand,  but  recently  she  was 
overheard  scolding  another  heathen  woman  for  not 
allowing  her  son  to  be  baptized.  Two  other  women 
have  insisted  upon  their  sons  becoming  Christians, 
although  they  have  not  themselves  joined  the  Church. 
They  are  married  to  men  who  use  opium  and  they 
are  compelled  to  support  their  families,  and  they  feel 
that  so  long  as  they  must  buy  opium  for  their  hus- 
bands they  dare  not  call  themselves  Christians  lest 
it  bring  discredit  upon  the  Church.  We  are  hoping 
that  the  new  opium  cure  will  help  us  to  set  free,  not 
only  the  men  who  use  this  drug,  but  also  their  wives 
and  daughters. 

The  woman  ^s  training  scliool  has  required  a  good 
deal  of  time  and  attention.  At  the  beginning  of  the 
year  we  had  only  one  woman  in  attendance.  We  now 
have  three.  These  are  all  widows  of  mature  years 
and  give  fair  promise  of  future  usefulness.  They 
have  learned  to  read  with  some  readiness,  but  we 
are  seriously  hindered  by  the  fact  that  the  ]\lalay 
books  which  we  must  use  are  in  Singapore  dialect. 
We  are,  however,  fortunate  in  that  Ah  Sow,  the  wife 
of  our  Chinese  preacher,  has  recently  come  to  us  and 
she  undei-stands  both  the  language  and  I\Iethodist 
methods.  I  anticipate  a  good  deal  of  help  from  her 
in  caring  for  the  women.  If  we  can  obtain  the  finan- 
cial help  necessary  for  this  school  there  is  little  doubt 
but  that  we  shall  soon  see  widespread  work  among 
the  women  of  Java. 

At  Pasar  Senen,  Weltevreden,  from  twenty  to 
thirty  women  attend  the  services  regularly.  They  are 
learning  to  sing  our  songs  and  seem  to  be  entering 
into  the  real  spirit  of  Christianity.  At  Pondok  Cede, 
a  village  some  fifteen  miles  from  Batavia,  there  are 
about  forty  women  who  are  probationers  in  the 
Church.     Most  of  these  have  come  to  us  from  the 

157 


APPENDIX. 

Romian  Church,  but  six  of  tihem  have  come  direct  from 
Mohammedanism.  Only  a  few  of  them  can  read,  and 
they  all  deeply  need  the  training  of  some  one  who 
can  lead  them  into  the  light  lof  real  spirituality. 

Our  day  schools  are  in  the  beginning  stages  as  yet. 
Our  Anglo-Chinese  school  at  Buitenzorg  is  taught  by 
an  English  lady.  The  Sundanese  school  at  Tjisaroea 
is  taught  by  a  Malay  man.  The  Malay  school  at 
Pasar  Senen  is  taught  by  a  Malay  girl  eighteen  years 
of  age.  The  most  remarkable  thing  is  that  they  are 
co-educational,  Chinese,  Malay,  and  Sundanese  boys 
and  girls  sitting  together  in  the  same  classes. 

The  great  need  of  the  work  in  Java  is  a  lady  who 
can  give  her  entire  time  to  evangelistic  work.  There 
is  very  great  promise  of  an  abundant  harvest  when- 
ever the  reaper  shall  come. 

Mary  Owens  Denyes. 

Buitenzorg,  Java. 


1907, 

NETHERLANDS  INDIES  DISTRICT. 

Java. — The  beginning  of  the  Conference  year 
found  us  with  a  comparatively  large  membership  of 
persons  whO'  were  either  backsliders  of  very  long 
standing  or  those  who  had  newly,  come  into  a  knowl- 
edge of  the  gospel.  Both  classes  knew  but  little  of 
Christianity  as  a  transforming  power  in  the  human 
heart.  Moreover,  four  out  of  the  five  native  preach- 
ers had  had  no  previous  knowledge  of  Methodist  doc- 
trines or  polity,  and  but  little  of  personal  religious 
experience.  It  was  therefore  decided  from  the  outset 
to  devote  the  year  to  the  building  up  and  organizing 
of  <thosie  already  under  our  care,  rather  than  to  the 
extending  of  the  work.     In  this  we  can  thankfully 

158 


APPENDIX. 

record  some  measure  of  success.  In  every  Church 
there  has  been  a  distinct  growth  in  spirituality,  and 
in  the  feeling  of  interest  in,  and  loyalty  to,  the 
Church.  The  preachers  are  laying  more  of  emphasis 
upon  personal  salvation,  and  the  members  are  awak- 
ening to  a  feeling  of  responsibility  for  spreading  the 
gospel.  The  machinery  of  the  Church  is  being  intro- 
duced as  rapidly  as  it  can  be  done  without  confusion. 
There  is  a  growing  willingness  to  submit  to  authority, 
and  an  increasing  appreciation  of  the  value  of  method 
and  system  in  Christian  work. 

The  statistics  of  this  year  do  not  properly  repre- 
sent the  work  accomplished.  Three  of  the  five 
Churches  show  little  or  no  increase  in  membership. 
This,  however,  does  not  indicate  either  stagnation 
or  backsliding,  but  rather  the  holding  rigidly  to  a 
high  standard  of  moral  conduct  on  the  part  of  mem- 
bers on  trial  before  they  are  admitted  to  full  mem- 
bership. It  is  a  fundamental  doctrine  of  Methodism 
that  the  vilest  sinner  may  find  mercy  and  soul  salva- 
tion if  he  will  but  turn  from  his  sins  and  seek  the 
cleansing  power  of  the  blood  of  Christ.  Therefore, 
the  Church  stands  ready  to  receive  all  who  come 
seeking  admission,  provided  they  "desire  to  flee  from 
the  wrath  to  come." 

The  jMethodist  Church  is  not  merely  a  place  where 
saints  may  exhibit  their  goodness,  but  a  place  where 
the  ignorant  may  be  taught,  the  sorrowing  may  find 
comfort,  the  weak  find  help  to  meet  the  battles  of  life, 
and  the  wicked  may  find  cleansing  from  their  sins. 
But  our  experience  has  led  us  to  feel  that  many  who 
come  seeking  admission  to  our  Churches  do  not  as 
yet  appreciate  the  spiritual  side  of  our  religion  and 
can  not  be  truly  said  to  be  seeking  to  flee  from  the 
wrath  to  come.  We  have,  therefore,  added  a  class  of 
members  for  w^hich  the  Disciple  makes  no  provision, 
that  is.  Inquirers.    Persons  asking  to  be  received  into 

159 


APPENDIX. 

the  Church  are  first  enrolled  as  inquirers  for  at  least 
two  months,  and  only  raised  to  the  class  of  proba- 
tioners when  they  have  shown  by  their  conduct  that 
they  really  mean  to  conform  to  Christian  teaching. 
The  result  of  this  rule  is  that  at  least  fifty,  who  would 
otherwise  appear  in  the  statistics  as  probationers,  do 
not  appear  at  all,  and  thus  the  statistical  tables  fail 
to  reveal  the  whole  work  accomplished.  It  should 
be  added  that  probationers  who  become  slack  in  their 
attendance  upon  the  means  of  grace  are  reduced  to 
the  class  of  inquirers. 

BuiTENzoRG. — The  actual  total  membership  in  this 
Church  is  less  by  three  than  it  was  last  year.  This, 
however,  does  not  indicate  a  retrograde  movement, 
but  is  due  to  the  working  out  of  the  rule  of  holding 
people  in  the  class  of  inquirers  till  they  are  ready  for 
entrance  as  probationers.  Eight  Chinese  adults  have 
been  baptized  and  received  into  full  membership,  and 
about  fifteen  others  have  been  reduced  from  the  rank 
of  probationer  to  that  of  inquirers,  and  hence  they 
do  not  appear  in  the  statistics. 

The  general  spiritual  condition  of  the  Church  is 
good.  A  Sunday  school  has  been  started.  Cottage 
prayer-meetings  are  being  held,  and  the  members  are 
both  earnest  and  active  in  carrying  the  gospel  among 
their  neighbors.  In  the  early  part  of  the  year  the 
preacher,  Khu  Chiong  Bi,  began  to  go  out  once  a  week 
to  the  Chinese  village,  Tjampea,  some  eight  miles  from 
Buitenzorg,  and  hold  services.  The  interest  among 
the  people  was  so  great  that  we  decided  to  rent  a 
building  and  make  it  a  regular  preaching  place.  The 
Christians  of  Buitenzorg  collected  the  money  to  buy 
chairs  and  lamps.  The  interest  has  continued 
throughout  the  year,  and  I  believe  we  shall  soon 
begin  to  see  definite  results,  although  no  one  has  as 
yet  been  enrolled. 

One  very  decided  advance  step  has  been  taken  in 

160 


A  Native  Church. 


First   Distrut  Conferkxck  of  thk  Nkthkr- 
LANDs,   India  Distrut . 

AVf  pane  1'^. 


APPENDIX. 

the  purchase  of  a  large  brick  building  on  the  main 
street  of  the  Chinese  quarter  of  Buitenzorg.  This 
building  is  well  adapted  for  Church,  Sunday  school, 
and  native  parsonage,  and  is  adequate  for  a  good 
many  years.  The  Church  and  day  school  were  moved 
to  the  new  building  on  the  first  of  November. 

The  ]\Iethodist  English  school  has  suffered  severely 
this  year  in  the  loss  of  the  teacher,  ]\Irs.  Giodwin, 
whose  ill-health  made  it  necessary  for  her  to  give  up 
the  work.  On  the  1st  of  October  the  school  was  placed 
in  charge  of  Unosuki  Ogawa,  a  Japanese  from  our 
Singapore  Anglo-Chinese  school.  This  school  has 
steadily  gro\\Ti  in  numbers  and  will,  I  trust,  become 
a  distinct  factor  in  the  social  and  religious  life  of 
that  community. 

Tanah  Abang. — At  Tanah  Abang,  Batavia,  we 
must  record  also  a  small  decrease  in  the  membership. 
There  have  been  no  baptisms,  and  none  of  the  proba- 
tioners have  been  taken  into  full  membership  during 
the  year.  This  has  been  a  disappointment,  for  at  the 
beginning  of  the  year  the  prospects  seemed  bright. 
But  this  Church  has  been  unfortunate.  The  member- 
ship is  largely  'made  up  from  the  coolie  class,  and  these 
people  are  continually  shifting  from  place  to  place. 
Moreover,  the  people  speak  only  Hokkien,  of  which 
the  missionary  understands  as  yet  but  little.  But  the 
worst  misfortune  came  when  the  native  preacher  gave 
up  his  position  to  go  into  business.  He  ha^,  however, 
continued  to  supply  the  pulpit,  though  giving  no  time 
to  pastoral  work  or  to  personal  instruction.  It  will 
be  necessary  to  secure  a  regular  pastor  at  the  earliest 
possible  moment. 

Pasar  Senen. — The  number  of  probationers  in  the 
staitistics  last  year  should  have  been  thirty-nine  in- 
stead of  fifty-nine,  for  some  twenty  baptized  chil- 
dren under  ten  years  of  age  were  accidentally  included 
in  the  list.     Thus  once  more  the  statistics  fail  to  re- 

U  161 


APPENDIX. 

veal  the  whole  truth.  There  have  been  five  adult 
baptisms.  Of  these,  two  were  Chinese,  two  Japanese, 
and  one  ]\Ialay. 

The  people  have  grown  in  grace  and  in  earnest- 
ness in  seeking  the  ;salvation  of  their  own  people. 
Some  twenty-five  have  been  received  on  probation, 
and  about  eight  or  ten  will  soon  be  prepared  for  bap- 
tism. A  Sunday  school  has  been  started  and  it  has 
an  average  attendance  of  twelve  children,  most  of 
whom  are  from  IMohammedan  homies.  In  connection 
with  this  Church  is  a  day  school  taught  in  Malay, 
w^ith  an  attendance  of  twenty-one  boys  and  girls. 
Christianity  is  made  a  prominent  feature  of  the 
school.  About  half  of  the  pupils  are  Mohammedans. 
The  school  fees  more  than  pay  the  salary  of  the 
teacher,  but  do  not  cover  the  rent  of  the  building. 

At  this  place  are  a  number  of  workers  who  are  well 
taught  in  the  Scriptures,  and  they  are  being  used  as 
leaders  of  cottage  prayer-meetings  in  the  various  kam- 
pongs.  There  is  a  growing  interest  in  the  subject  of 
Christianity,  and  very  frequently  the  native  preacher 
and  his  helpers  meet  the  Mohammedan  priests  for 
debates.  As  a  result  a  number  of  Mohamme  Jan  Java- 
nese, Simdanese,  and  Malays  have  occasionally  at- 
tended our  services  and  a  few  enrolled  as  inquirers. 

One  very  serious  difficulty  in  the  work  of  this 
Church  is  the  language  question.  Many  IIakka»  have 
beco'm,e  interested  in  Christianity  and  come  with  some 
regularity.  But  they  understand  very  little  Malay, 
and  we  have  no  preacher  who  can  speak  Hakka.  I 
believe  a  great  work  could  be  done  if  we  had  a  Hakka 
preacher.  During  the  year  the  market  at  Pasar  Senen 
was  destroyed  by  fire,  and  many  of  our  members 
moved  to  other  places,  but  they  are  for  the  most  part 
remaining  true  to  Christianity  as  they  understand  it. 

During  the  latter  part  of  the  year  the  preacher, 
Balok  Arpasad,  and  an  exhorter,  a  Javaneise,  have 

162 


APPENDIX. 

been  holding  services  and  visiting  the  people  at  an 
outlying  village.  Some  thirty  years  ago  there  were 
at  this  place  a  large  number  of  ]\Ialays  who  became 
Christians  under  the  teaching  of  an  independent  mis- 
sionar}\  After  the  death  of  this  man  the  missionary 
society  for  West  Java  continued  to  hold  services,  but 
the  work  ran  down,  and  some  ten  years  ago  was  aban- 
doned. Recently  we  have  been'  able  to  rouse  some 
interest,  and  five  of  these  persons  have  asked  to  be 
enrolled  as  Christians.  A  number  of  others  are  con- 
sidering the  question.  I  am  hopeful  that  before  the 
end  of  the  coming  year  we  shall  be  able  to  reclaim  a 
good  number  of  these  backsliders,  and  make  them  an 
advance  army  in  a  campaign  among  the  more  bigoted 
Mohammedans. 

PoNDOK  Gede. — The  people  have  not  yet  suffi- 
ciently developed  to  warrant  their  being  raised  to 
full  membership.  And  yet  there  has  been  some  ad- 
vancement. Six  children  and  five  adults,  all  from 
the  ranks  of  Islam,  have  been  baptized.  The  people 
of  this  village  have  all  had  their  training  under  other 
auspices,  and  it  will  take  some  time  to  bring  them  up 
to  IMethodi^t  ideals  in  morals  and  methods.  But  they 
are  growing  slowly.  The  village  is  so  far  away  from 
Batavia  and  so  inaccessible  that  they  can  not  be  given 
ss  much  care  as  is  needed.  They  are  learning  to 
sing  our  hynms,  and  are  beginning  to  show  some  ac- 
tivity in  the  way  of  cottage  prayer-meetings. 

During  the  year  a  substantial  wooden  church 
building  has  been  erected  at  a  cost  of  $200,  the  Church 
members  doing  a  part  of  the  work.  This  building  will 
seat  two  hundred  people,  and  is  well  suited  for  the 
place.  The  people  at  this  place  are  ver>'  poor,  al- 
though better  off  than  many  of  their  ^Mohammedan 
neighbors.  The  time  seems  to  be  rapidly  coming  when 
some  missionary'  should  give  a  considerable  time  to  the 
study  of  sociological  problems  in  the  island  of  Java. 

163 


APPENDIX. 

Tjusaroea. — The  work  at  Tjisaroea  was  begun  just 
at  the  close  ot  the  last  Conferenoe  year  by  the  open- 
ing of  a  day  school  with  fifteen  children  enrolled,  and 
the  gathering  of  half  a  dozen  nominal  Christians  into 
a  little  Church  organization.  At  Conference  time 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Buchanan  were  transferred  from  Singa- 
pore to  this  place  to  begin  what  we  hope  will  be  some 
day  a  great  Sundanese  Church.  It  took  until  the  first 
of  May  to  get  them  settled  at  Tjisaroea,  and  even 
then  they  were  obliged  to  devote  a  great  deal  <  f  time 
for  two  months  more  to  repairing  the  house  in  which 
they  live.  In  August  Mr.  Buchanan  was  called  to 
Batavia  to  look  after  my  work  during  my  absence  of 
three  months.  They  have,  therefore,  had  but  little 
time  during  the  ishort  Conference  year  to  devote  to 
the  study  of  the  Sundanese  language,  and  to  the  culti- 
vation of  the  people.  In  spite  of  these  difficulties, 
however,  much  has  been  accomplished.  Both  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Buchanan  have  gained  a  large  acquaintance  in 
the  surrounding  villages.  They  have  cared  for  hun- 
dreds of  cases  of  sickness,  often  as  many  as  fifteen 
or  twenty  persons  coming  to  them  in  a  single  day. 
These  cases  have  been  followed  up  in  their  homes,  as 
far  as  possible,  and  the  occasions  used  for  teaching 
religious  truths. 

The  day  school  has  grown  some  in  numbers,  there 
being  now  twenty-two  boys  and  girls  in  attendanee. 
The  children  are  taught  Christian  doctrines  as  well 
as  reading.  Already  the  gospel  hymns  are  being 
sung  by  the  children  throughout  the  kampongs  all 
around,  and  the  people  are  being  made  to  feel  that 
Christiandty  is  at  work.  A  regular  Church  service 
is  held  every  Sunday  afternoon  with  an  average  at- 
tendance of  twenty-five.  Mrs.  Buchanan  conducts  a 
Bible-class  for  the  women  and  girls.  Mr.  Buchanan 
preaches  in  English  every  Sunday  morning  for  the 
Europeans  on  the  estate.     There  are  now  one  full 

164 


APPENDIX. 

member,  thirteen  probationers,  and  thirty-nine  in- 
quirers. 

During  the  year  a  whole  village  of  Javanese,  con- 
sisting of  fourteen  adults  and  eighteen  children,  defi- 
nitely renounced  Mohammedanism  and  were  enrolled 
as  inquirers.  Two  of  these  have  already  been  bap- 
tized, and  the  others  are  learning  as  best  they  can 
the  doctrines  of  Christianity.  But  communicating 
religious  truth  to  them  is  a  problem.  They  under- 
stand but  veiy  little  of  either  Sundanese  or  Malay. 
They  are  Javanese  colonists  from  ]Mid-Java  who  set- 
tled on  this  estate  years  ago.  Our  ]\Ialay  preacher 
goes  weekly  to  them  and  teaches  a  young  man  who 
speaks  ^lalay.  He  in  turn  teaches  the  people  in  Java- 
nese. Quarterly  we  send  up  our  Javanese  preacher 
from  Batavia  for  a  day  or  tw^o.  This  is  the  best  we 
can  do  at  the  present  time.  The  language  question 
at  Tjisaroea  is  a  serious  one.  'Mr.  Buchanan  has  made 
a  heroic  effort  for  the  time  he  has  had,  but  he  -works 
under  difficulties.  There  are  no  English-Sundanese 
dictionaries  or  other  books  for  beginners,  so  he  must 
need  learn  through  the  medium  of  ^lalay  and  Dutch. 
Moreover,  he  is  handicapped  by  the  lack  of  Hymnals, 
Disciplines,  and  other  books  necessary  to  the  develop- 
ment of  the  work. 

We  desire  to  record  our  sincere  thanks  to  Mr. 
Paul  Bik  for  supplying  the  Sundanese  equivalents 
to  the  English  words  in  the  Triglot  vocabulary.  Also 
to  Mr.  Francis  Keuchenius  for  his  kindness  in  trans- 
lating into  Sundanese  for  us  some  twenty-five  hymns 
and  most  of  the  Ritual  of  the  Church.  These  will 
prove  of  very  great  assistance  to  us  in  our  work.  We 
also  desire  to  record  our  appreciation  of  the  kindness 
of  Mr.  Bruno  Bik,  the  owner,  and  ^Ir.  Edward  Keu- 
chenius, the  manager  of  the  estate,  in  providing  a 
house  rent  free  for  our  missionary  and  for  our  native 
preacher,  and  for  their  other  manifold  kindnesses. 

165 


APPENDIX. 

We  earnestly  pray  that  they  may  receive  of  God  rich 
temporal  and  spiritual  reward. 

Prophecy  without  inspiration  is  always  an  uncer- 
tain matter,  and  yet  'my  faith  sees  within  a  few  years 
a  large  spiritual  work  among  the  Mohammedans  of 
Tjisaroea. 

Among  the  incidents  of  the  year  none  is  more 
pleasant  to  remember  than  the  visit  of  Bishop  and 
Mrs.  Oldham,  and  'the  District  Conference,  over 
which  the  bishop  presided.  Here  for  the  first  time 
our  workers  were  gathered  together  to  take  a  look  at 
the  whole  work.  Eighteen  workers  assembled  at  the 
First  District  Conference  in  Netherlands,  India,  where 
three  years  ago  we  had  not  a  single  Church  member. 
It  was  all  new  to  them,  but  the  significance  of  it  grew 
upon  them  and  produced  a  Isisting  impression.  Men 
and  women  who  had  never  before  taken  part  in  a 
public  meeting  read  reports  and  gave  testimonies  of 
religious  experience  in  a  way  that  brought  hope  and 
encouragement  to  the  hearts  of  the  missionaries.  Two 
of  those  who  took  part  in  this  Conference  have  defi- 
nitely given  their  lives  to  God's  service.  One  is  a 
Sundaniese  woman  whom  Mrs.  Denyes  had  been  teach- 
ing for  some  months.  She  is  now  in  the  woman's 
school  at  Malacca  preparing  herself  for  a  teacher  and 
Bible  woman.  The  other  is  a  young  Javanese  who 
has  entered  the  training  school  to  prepare  for  the 
ministry. 

We  rejoice  in  the  victories  already  gained,  but 
we  look  with  burdened  hearts  upon  the  fields  yet  to 
be  won.  Satan  is  stronger  and  sin  is  bolder  in  this 
district  than  we  have  ever  seen  elsewhere.  We  need 
more  helpers,  wc  need  suitable  literature  in  the  ver- 
naculars. But  the  work  is  God's  work,  and  He  will, 
in  His  own  good  time,  supply  all  our  needs. 

J.  R.  Dentes,  Presiding  Elder, 

166 


APPENDIX. 

WOMAN'S  CONFERENCE. 
BATAVIA  AND  BUITENZORG. 

The  year  that  has  just  passed  has  been  largely 
spent  in  moving  from  place  to  place.  The  first  two 
months  after  last  Conference  we  continued  to  live  at 
Buitenzorg.  Here  the  work  amongst  the  women  was 
most  encouraging,  and  I  was  very  loath  to  leave  it. 
From;  fifteen  to  thirty  women  were  always  in  attend- 
ance at  the  meetings.  During  the  last  few  months, 
however,  the  attendance  has  fallen  off  somewhat.  One 
reason  for  tliis  has  been  the  fear  of  ghosts.  Two  Chris- 
tians have  died  and  the  story  has  been  started  that 
their  souls  are  wandering  about  begging  for  food 
which  was  not  given  them  at  their  funeral.  This  has 
so  frightened  a  number  that  thej'  have  stopped  coming 
to  Church.  But  we  believe  that  in  the  course  of  time 
even  this  foolish  alarm  w^ill  prove  to  have  been  a 
blessing  in  that  it  will  lead  many  to  talk  and  think 
about  the  Christian  religion. 

The  preacher's  wife,  Ah  Sow,  wdth  her  fine  Chris- 
tian spirit  and  her  Deaconess  Home  training,  is  doing 
much  to  win  and  hold  the  women,  but  with  her  two 
tiny  babies  she  can  get  out  but  little  into  the  homes. 
Since  I  moved  to  Batavia  I  have  spent  one  day  in  each 
month  at  Buitenzorg,  leaving  Batavia  at  7  A.  ]\L  and 
returning  at  6  P.  ]\L  In  this  way  it  has  been  pos- 
sible to  visit  many  of  the  w^omen,  and  they  have  all 
seemed  to  enjoy  the  reading,  singing,  and  prayer. 

In  ]\Iay  we  'moved  to  Batavia.  The  first  few  weeks 
we  were  busy  getting  settled,  as  our  furniture  was 
sent  up  with  our  new  missionaries  to  our  mountain 
station  at  Tjisaroea.  In  and  near  Batavia  we  have 
three  Churches  besides  an  outlying  preaching  place. 
It  has  been  my  aim  to  distribute  my  efforts  among 
all  these  charges.     However,  it  will  be  readily  seen 

167 


APPENDIX. 

that  even  the  women  who  have  been  already  reached 
can  not  possibly  be  given  the  care  and  help  that  they 
need. 

The  Church  at  Tanah  Abang  is  a  man's  Church. 
The  women  will  not  attend  the  services  unless  I  or 
some  other  women  from  Pasar  Senem  Church  attend. 
On  the  other  hand,  at  Pasar  Senen  and  Pondok  Gede 
the  women  come  in  goodly  numbers.  They  are  eager 
to  learn  and  are  very  faithful  at  the  services. 

I  had  scarcely  begun  to  get  acquainted  with  the 
pleople  when  I  was  summoned  to  Singapore  in  Au- 
gust on  account  of  the  illness  lof  Mr.  Denyes.  We 
remained  two  'months  in  Singapore  and  then  spent  a 
month  at  Tjisaroea. 

Much  that  I  had  hoped  to  accomplish  during  the 
year  has  had  to  be  laid  aside  for  the  home  duties 
which  could  not  be  omitted.  But  I  have  kept  up  the 
teaching  of  the  three  women  who  are  preparing  for 
service  until  I  was  called  to  Singapore,  when  two  of 
them  returned  to  their  homes  and  one  went  to  the 
training  isichool  at  Malacca. 

I  desire  lonoe  more  to  urge  the  necessity  of  sending 
to  this  field  a  lady  missionary  who  can  be  free  from 
household  cares  and  who  can  spend  her  time  among 
the  women  of  Java.  The  field  is  'white  already  to 
the  harvest. 

Mary  Owens  Denyes. 

WORK  AMONG  THE  MOHAMMEDANS. 

We  have  been  in  Java  nine  months  and  in  Tjisa- 
roea eight. 

Our  health  has  been  good  but  we  have  been  much 
handicapped.  The  house  we  amoved  into  was  a  lumber 
office,  but  with  repairs  and  additions  it  has  been  made 
quite  a  nice  dwelling-house.     With  untrained  serv- 

168 


APPENDIX. 

ants,  I  have  been  compelled  to  do  most  of  the  cooking 
myself.  We  have  had  to  do  most  of  the  marketing 
ourselves,  and  in  this  way  a  great  opportunity  has 
been  afforded  us  to  go  among  the  people  selling  books 
and  tracts,  and  also  helping  them  in  the  medical  line. 
Those  who  have  been  sick  in  their  homes  come  to  the 
roadside  as  we  pass  and  call  ils  to  their  homes.  Many 
have  come  to  the  house  for  medicine.  We  have  been 
able  to  help  three  hundred  and  eighteen  different  peo- 
ple with  medicine  during  these  eight  months. 

Small  villages  are  scattered  all  over  the  estate,  and 
the  people  have  come  from  eighteen  of  these  villages. 
]\Iany  times  we  have  been  able  to  go  to  the  homes  of 
those  ill  and  thus  gained  access  to  the  villages  and 
met  a  host  of  people. 

During  Mr.  Denyes'  illness  we  lived  in  their  home 
in  j\Ieester  Cornelius.  While  there  I  visited  among 
the  different  Churches  and  the  villages  where  work 
had  been  started. 

I  have  two  classes,  one  for  the  women  and  one  for 
the  girls.  Although  I  have  just  begun  w^e  have  had 
very  good  prayer  and  testimony  meetings. 

I  have  been  able  to  attend  nearly  all  the  English 
services  held  in  the  home  of  the  owner  of  the  estate. 
The  native  service  is  held  in  our  own  home.  Mr. 
Buchanan  speaks  in  ]\Ialay  and  the  native  preacher  in 
Simdanese.  After  the  seiwice  we  sing  for  a  half  hour, 
which  the  young  people  enjoy  much. 

Emily  Early  Buchanan. 


169 


APPENDIX. 

1908. 

NETHERLANDS  INDIES  DISTRICT. 

JAVA. 

Pasar  Senen. — This  Church  hais  grown?  steadily 
during  the  year.  There  were  fifteen  baptis.ms,  about 
half  being  from  the  ranks  of  Islam.  One  interesting 
ease  was  that  of  a  Malay  woman  who  had  become  a 
hadji,  that  is,  she  had  been  to  Mecca,  and  for  eighteen 
years  she  had  been  a  teacher  of  JMohammedanism. 
Some  little  time  ago  she  met  with  one  of  the  exhorters 
of  this  Church  and  w^as  led  to  consider  the  claims  of 
Christianity.  In  a  short  'time  she  was  converted,  and 
she  is  novY  one  of  the  most  faithful  in  attendance  upon 
the  services  of  the  Church. 

During  the  year  the  government  opened  a  number 
of  schools  in  the  Dutch  language  for  Chinese  and 
native  boys.  One  of  these  schools  is  near  the  Pasar 
Senen  Church.  Most  of  our  boys  left  our  Malay 
school  to  enter  this  Dutch  school;  but  after  a  few 
months  we  were  able  to  secure  new  boys  and  the  school 
is  slowly  gaining  again. 

Just  at  the  close  of  the  year  the  health  of  the 
Malay  preacher  failed  to  such  an  extent  that  it  was 
necessary  to  send  him  to  another  place,  so  it  was  de- 
cided to  open  another  station  in  a  village  some  twenty 
miles  from  Batavia.  This  ''kampong"  is  wholly  Mo- 
hammedan, but  the  people  are  inclined  to  be  friendly 
and  willing  to  listen. 

There  are  two  out-stations  connected  with  this. 
Church.  One  is  in  a  Mohammedan  village,  twenty- 
five  miles  from  Batavia;  the  other  is  in  the  old  town 
of  Batavia,  among  the  Baba  or  Java-bom  Chinese. 
Both  of  these  stations  are  served  by  local  preachers 
from  Pasar  Senen.    At  the  first  of  these  places  eight 

170 


Some  Convkrts. 


A  Nativk  School. 


APPENDIX. 

adults  have  been  enrolled  as  probationers.  At  the 
other  two  have  been  baptized  and  several  others  are 
on  trial. 

Tanah  Abang,  Batavia. — Shortly  after  Confer- 
ence Diong  Eng  Seng  and  his  wife  came  to  ns  from 
Sarawak,  Borneo,  and  were  put  in  charge  of  the 
Tanah  Abang  Church.  It  was  a  hard  place  to  work, 
for  the  full  members  of  the  Church  had  all  been  bap- 
tizycd  before  coming  into  our  Church,  and  they  were, 
with  the  exception  of  one,  living  far  below  the  Chris- 
tian standard.  Of  the  vseven  full  members  reported 
last  year,  only  one  remains.  The  rest  have  all  moved 
away  and  their  names  have  been  dropped  from  the 
roll.  By  quiet,  persistent  work  Eng  Seng  has  wrought 
a  great  change.  There  are  now  ten  real  Christians  in 
full  membership  with  thirteen  hopeful  probaitioners. 

PoNDOK  Gede. — This  is  the  only  real  Malay 
Church  in  all  ^lethodism.  It  is  surrounded  on  all 
sides  by  ^Mohammedan  villages,  and  these  of  unen- 
viable reputation.  It  has  maintained  its  Christian 
standing  for  thirty-five  years,  but  it  has  not  been  an 
evangelizing  force.  Those  "who  have  drifted  away 
to  other  places  have  about  neutralized  the  natural 
increase  from  the  birth  of  children  of  Christian  par- 
ents. Lack  of  pastoral  oversight  and  extreme  pov- 
erty have  led  them  into  general  indilference  to  things 
religious  and  into  the  habit  of  Sabbath  labor.  The 
long  distance  and  the  poor  roads  have  made  it  difficult 
for  us  to  give  them  the  care  they  need.  But  of  late 
there  have  been  signs  of  growth  in  spiritual  life. 
Three  adult  Mohammedans  and  nine  children  have 
been  baptized. 

BuiTENZORG,  City. — The  most  important  feature 
of  the  work  in  Buitenzorg  during  the  year  was  the 
coming  of  Rev.  0.  A.  Carlson  to  take  charge  of  the 
English  school  and  the  station.     The  English  school 

171 


APPENDIX. 

has  been  in  existence  for  t"(\^o  and  a  half  years.  The 
English  lady  who  had  been  in  charge  left  us  at  the 
end  of  the  first  year.  The  school  was  small  and  could 
not  pay  the  salary  of  a  European  teacher,  so  a  native 
was  put  in  charge.  In  January  of  last  year  Mr.  Tan 
Guan  Huat,  a  wealthy  Chinaman  of  Buitenzorg,  of- 
fered us  a  subsidy  sufficient  to  cover  the  extra  ex- 
pense, provided  that  we  would  get  an  American 
teacher  for  the  school.  Bishop  Oldham  at  once  trans- 
ferred Mr.  Carlson  from  Kuala  Lumpor  to  Buiten- 
zorg.  The  school  is  growing  in  numbers  and  the  boys 
and  girls  are  making  good  progress.  Ten  or  twelve 
of  them  attend  the  Sunday  school. 

Last  year  an  out-station  was  opened  at  Tjampea, 
ten  miles  from  Buitenzorg,  where  the  preacher  holds 
a  weekly  service.  For  more  than  a  year  there  were 
no  visible  results;  but  some  three  months  ago  there 
came  a  break,  and  twelve  were  enrolled  as  probation- 
ers.   Most  of  these  are  bright  young  Chinese  men. 

This  year  another  out^station  was  started  at  Tjibi- 
noeng,  a  little  village  twelve  miles  from  Buitenzorg. 
There  have  been  no  apparent  results  so  far,  but  the 
people  show  a  remarkable  willingness  to  listen  to 
the  gospel. 

A  large  part  of  the  debt  on  the  Buitenzorg  build- 
ing was  paid  off  during  the  year  by  the  generous  gift 
of  two  thousand  guilders  from  Dr.  Groucher,  of  Bal- 
timore. 

Tjisaroea,  Buitenzorg. — In  the  early  part  of  the 
year  the  preacher-teacher  resigned,  leaving  both  the 
church  and  the  day  school  to  be  cared  for  by  Mr. 
Buchanan.  It  was  impossible  to  secure  another  suit- 
able man  for  the  school,  but  a  Chinese  lad  was  em- 
ployed as  an  assistant,  and  so  the  school  was  kept 
going.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Buchanan  have  made  good  prog- 
ress in  the  Sundanese  language.  Four  services  are 
held  each  week,  one  in  English  for  the  Europeans  on 

172 


APPENDIX. 

the  estate,  one  in  Malay,  and  two  in  Simdanese.  Dur- 
ing the  year  a  small  hymnal  has  been  printed,  and 
the  ritual  is  now  ready  for  the  press. 

J.  R.  Denyes,  District  Superintendent. 

WOMAN'S  CONFERENCE. 

BATAVIA  AND  BUITENZORG. 

It  is  with  pleasure  that  we  are  able  to  report  that 
there  has  been  continuous  and  healthy  gro\vi:h  in  the 
work  among  the  women  in  this  field  during  the  past 
year.  At  Buitenzorg  there  continues  to  be  a  good 
attendance  of  women  at  the  services  of  the  Church. 
The  pastor's  wife  has  a  weekly  class  for  the  women. 
During  the  most  of  the  year  I  have  spent  one  day 
each  month  visiting  from  house  to  house  in  Buiten- 
zorg. Out  some  twelve  miles  from  Buitenzorg  are 
two  preaching  stations.  At  these  stations  the  women 
have  shown  a  great  willingness  to  listen  to  the  gospel, 
but  it  has  been  impossible  to  go  to  them  regularly. 

At  Batavia  the  opportunity  for  direct  evangelistic 
work  among  the  women  is  limited  only  by  the  ti'me 
and  strength  of  the  missionaiy.  From  fifteen  to 
twenty  women  are  in  attendance  at  every  service  at 
the  Pasar  Senen  Church.  There  have  been  several 
interesting  conversions  among  these  people,  one  being 
that  of  a  woman  wiio  has  for  eighteen  years  been  a 
teacher  of  ^Mohammedanism. 

For  two  years  the  Church  at  Tanah.  Abaug  was 
a  serious  problem.  The  preacher  was  a  single  man 
and  the  women  could  not  be  induced  to  enter  the 
Church.  Last  ^March  Diong  Eng  Seng  was  sent  to 
this  Church.  He  brought  with  him  his  wife,  Dorcas, 
who  had  been  educated  in  the  school  at  Penang.  She 
has  won  her  way  into  the  hearts  of  the  women  of 
Tanah  Abang,  and  now  there  is  a  regular  attendance 

173 


APPENDIX. 

of  eight  or  ten  womeiL  at  the  Church.  Unfortunately 
the  services  are  all  in  the  Hokkien  language,  and  these 
women,  the  wives  of  the  Chinese  'miembers,  are  all 
Malays.  They  can  not  understand  what  is  said,  but 
they  get  together  before  and  after  the  services  and 
talk  over  religious  matters.  Two  women  have  already 
been  baptized.  One  of  these  is  a  woman  living  two 
miles  from  the  church.  She  came  for  the  first  time  to 
the  services  at  the  time  of  our  District  Conference  in 
July.  For  three  months  she  spent  almost  the  whole 
time,  day  and  night,  in  prayer  for  salvation.  The 
strain  became  so  great  that  it  was  feared  that  she 
would  die.  But  the  light  dawned  at  last,  and  now 
she  fairly  lives  for  the  speed  of  the  good  news.  Sev- 
eral of  her  people  are  becoming  intereisted  and  it 
looks  as  though  her  whole  village  would  soon  be 
reached. 

Fifteen  miles  from  Batavia  is  our  Malay  Christian 
village.  I  have  been  able  to  visit  there  but  once  dur- 
ing the  year,  for  the  roads  are  very  bad.  There  are 
fifty-nine  women  on  probation  at  this  village.  Only 
about  half  a  dozen  of  these  can  read.  There  is  very 
great  need  for  some  one  to  go  aimong  them  and  teach 
them.  All  around  them  are  thousands  of  Moham- 
medan homes  which  could  be  reached,  were  some  one 
able  to  do  the  work. 

We  have  waited  and  prayed  for  a  lady  missionary 
who  oould  give  her  whole  time  to  teaching  the  women 
of  Java.  Miss  Blackmore  spent  three  weeks  with  us 
this  year  and  her  visit  was  greatly  appreciated.  Now 
comes  the  good  news  that  already  there  is  on  the  way 
a  young  lady  whose  heart  and  time  is  to  be  given  to 
this  work,  and  we  are  even  now  rejoicing  over  the 
lives  that  will  be  brightened  and  the  souls  that  are 
to  be  saved  by  the  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit  working 
in  and  through  her. 

Mary  Owens  Denyes. 

174 


APPENDIX. 

1909. 
NETHERLANDS  INDIES  DISTRICT. 

The  year  has  been  one  of  victory.  Difficulties 
there  have  been,  weak  spots  in  the  work  due  to  ill- 
health,  misfit  helpers,  and  lack  of  funds,  yet  withal 
it  has  been  a  year  of  progress  and  victory. 

There  have  been  many  changes  in  the  personnel 
of  the  mission  force.  Of  the  six  men  and  women 
who  appeared  on  the  roll  at  the  opening  of  last  Con- 
ference only  two  remain,  ]\Irs.  Denyes  and  myself. 

Brother  Carlson  returned  with  us  from  Confer- 
ence only  to  set  his  affairs  in  order,  and  then  started 
for  the  homeland.  AVe  knew  that  his  health  was  poor, 
but  we  little  thought  as  we  waved  him  farewell  that 
it  was  the  last  time  we  should  look  upon  fthe  face  of 
our  comrade  in  service,  our  loving-hearted  apostle 
with  tlie  enthusiasm  of  a  boy  and  the  courage  of  a 
man.  But  God  called  him  in  the  midst  of  his  home- 
ward journey,  and  from  the  hiospital  in  Colombo  he 
went  to  his  reward. 

Brother  and  Sister  Baugliman  came  to  take  up  the 
work  at  Buitenzorg,  and  earnestly  and  loyally  have 
they  done  their  part.  IMiss  Ruth,  supported  by  the 
young  people  of  the  Pittsburg  Conference,  came  to 
us  at  Conference  time  to  help  in  the  woman's  work 
at  Batavia.  She  has  given  herself  unsparingly  to 
the  study  of  the  Malay  and  to  visiting  among  the 
people,  and  has  <made  a  place  for  herself  in  the  mis- 
sion. Soon  after  Conference,  ]\Ir.  Worthington  left 
for  a  well-earned  furlough,  and  during  the  latter  part 
of  the  year  ^Ir.  Horley  has  had  charge  of  the  work 
in  West  Borneo.  After  several  months  of  warning 
Mr.  Buchanan's  health  finally  gave  way,  and  in  Sep- 
tember he  was  compelled  to  leave  for  America  with 
his  family. 

175 


APPENDIX. 

Java. — The  striking  features  of  the  Buitenzorg 
work  have  been  the  addition  of  twenty-five  to  the 
Church  membership,  a  large  increase  in  the  attend- 
ance upon  the  regular  services,  extensive  repairs  on 
the  church  building,  rapid  growth  in  the  English 
school,  the  opening  of  Malay  schools  at  Buitenzorg 
and  Tjibinong,  and  the  beginning  of  a  boys'  boarding 
school.  There  are  sixty  pupils  in  the  English  school 
and  fifty-five  in  the  Malay  school. 

The  work  at  Tjisaroea  was  apparently  just  about  to 
bear  fruit  in  the  gathering  in  of  a  number  of  Sunda- 
nese  Mohammedans,  when  ]\Ir.  Buchanan  was  com- 
pelled to  leave.  Two  were  baptized,  and  it  is  hoped 
that  others  will  soon  follow.  These  itwo  baptisms  are 
significant  in  that  they  are  the  first  break  that  we  have 
had  in  the  ranks  of  the  Sundanese.  At  this  station 
there  are  now  four  preaching  places,  two  schools,  and 
the  nucleus  of  a  Christian  colony. 

In  the  variious  Batavia  Churches  there  has  been 
a  steady  growth.  The  percentage  of  those  received 
on  probation  who  become  full  members  is  much 
greater,  in  fact  only  a  small  propontion  now  fail  to 
reach  full  membership.  In  August  a  new  church 
was  lopened  at  a  village  eighteen  miles  from  Batavia, 
and  already  eight  adult  Mohammedans  have  been  en- 
rolled as  probationers.  Others,  including  some  of  the 
most  influential  men  of  the  village,  attend  the  services 
occasionally  and  are  favorably  disposed. 

In  June  we  opened  a  Hokkien-Foochow  Church  at 
Sioerabaya,  in  East  Java.  There  are  now  ten  proba- 
tioners and  a  good  number  of  inquirers.  There  would 
have  been  severpj  baptisms  had  I  been  able  to  visit 
the  station  again  before  Conference.  Soerabaya  is  a 
city  of  twenty-five  thousand  inhabitants,  and  almost 
nothing  is  being  done  for  its  evangelization.  A  mis- 
sionary should  be  placed  there  at  the  earliest  possible 
day.  J.  R.  Denyes,    District  Superintendent, 

176 


APPExXDIX. 

WOMAN'S  CONFERENCE. 

BATAVIA. 

The  close  of  the  Conference  year  serves  but  to  re- 
mind me  of  how  little  I  have  been  able  to  accomplish 
during  the  months  that  have  passed.  Nervous  exhaus- 
tion and  typhoid  fever  have  confined  me  largely  to 
my  home.  I  have  done  but  very  little  of  visiting 
among  the  women  and  have  but  seldom  attended  the 
services  of  the  Churches. 

The  coming  to  Java  of  ]Mrs.  Baughman  and  Miss 
Ruth  has  been  a  great  blessing  to  the  women.  It  has 
been  no  longer  necessary  for  me  to  make  monthly 
visits,  as  I  did  last  year,  to  Buitenzorg;  and  Miss 
Ruth's  diligence  in  visitation  has  not  only  kept  those 
whom  we  might  otherwise  have  lost,  but  has  strength- 
ened the  Churches  and  brought  others  into  the  King- 
dom. Now  that  I  am  strong  enough  again  to  move 
about,  it  will  be  possible  for  ^liss  Ruth  and  myself 
to  visit  the  out-stations  where  one  woman  can  not 
well  go. 

Though  unable  to  visit  aimong  the  people,  I  have 
been  enabled  to  have  some  part  in  the  work  in  that  so 
many  people  have  visited  me.  Day  by  day  the}^  have 
come  singly  or  in  groups  with  their  joys  and  their 
troubles  until  I  have  been  partially  reconciled  to  stay- 
ing at  home. 

]\Io->>t  of  the  year  two  women  have  been  in  our 
training  home.  One  has  left,  as  she  was  unable  to 
learn  to  read,  although  she  learned  the  way  of  life. 
The  other,  the  hadji,  is  eager  to  learn  and  is  making 
fair  progress,  considering  her  age.  Part  of  her  time 
is  given  to  visiting. 

Keng  Neo,  the  Bible  woman,  has  been  a  joy.  She 
is  diligent,  effective,  and  spiritual.     She  does  a  great 

12  177 


APPENDIX. 

deal  of  general  visiting  among  the  Church,  people  and 
outsiders,  but  her  principal  work  is  that  of  drilling 
the  new  converts  on  the  Lord's  Prayer,  the  Apostles' 
Creed,  and  the  Ten  Commandments.  It  is  our  desire 
that  our  women  should  not  only  get  a  Christian  ex- 
perience, but  also  that  they  shall  get  something  of 
an  intellectual  foundation. 

We  have  seen  some  real  conversions  among  our 
women  this  year.  And  they  bravely,  yet  modestly, 
(testify  of  a  personal  knowledge  lof  the  Saviour.  Al- 
ready large  numbers  of  women  aittend  the  services  of 
the  various  Churches,  and  the  work  is  scarcely  yet 
begun.    ' '  The  best  of  all  is,  God  is  with  us. ' ' 

Mary  Owens  Denyes. 

With  the  close  of  this,  my  first  year  in  the  Malay- 
sia Mission,  it  is  with  not  a  little  reluctance  that  I 
undertake  to  submit  in  any  manner  an  account  of 
my  part  in  the  work  of  this  vast  harvest  field  which 
lies  before  us.  However,  I  am  glad  that  during  these 
ten  months  and  a  half  of  my  life  in  Java  I  have  had 
the  joy  of  talking  with  many  in  their  native  tongue 
of  ' '  this  great  salvation. ' '  Until  very  recently,  owing 
to  my  lack  of  a  ready  use  of  the  language,  my  time 
has  largely  been  given  to  helping  and  teaching  the 
women  of  our  own  Christian  circles,  and  it  is  inter- 
esting to  see  their  eagerness  to  learn,  and  their  per- 
severance to  the  completion  of  (their  lesson,  whether 
it  be  studying  to  read  or  memorizing  the  Lord's 
Prayer  and  the  Ten  Commandments. 

The  Lord  has  helped  me  to  find  the  same  to  some 
non-Christian  homes,  from  which  have  resulted  the 
entering  into  a  new  life  of  several  souls.  During  t^yo 
or  three  successive  visits  to  a  certain  kampong  in 
search  of  a  woiman  deeply  interested  in  Christianity, 
but  who  had  been  absent  from  her  home  for  several 

178 


APPENDIX. 

weeks,  an  old  lady  whose  house  I  always  passed  was 
accustomed  to  watch  and  give  me  the  latest  news  of 
the  other.  One  day,  as  usual,  I  found  her  on  her  tiny 
front  veranda,  and  after  standing  outside  for  a  few 
moments,  talking  of  the  one  I  sought,  she  asked  me 
to  come  in.  Availing  myself  of  the  opportunity,  I 
was  in  a  short  time  able  to  open  up  the  all-important 
subje'Ct  with  her.  I  found  that  she  had  lived  twenty- 
three  years  with  a  Dutchman  who  was  not  her  hus- 
band, and  tried  to  tell  her  of  her  wrong  and  of  One 
who  could  and  would  save  her.  She  listened  with 
apparent  interest,  and  begged  me  to  come  soon  again. 
The  next  week  I  went  again,  and  Oh,  how  very  eagerly 
did.  she  question  again  and  again  if  salvation  were 
really  for  her.  At  first  she  argued  that  she  was  too 
old,  then  she  feared  she  did  not  know  enough,  and 
then  perhaps  she  was  too  sinful.  But  as  at  every 
doubt  I  was  able  to  reassure  her — ^that  salvation  was 
for  the  sinful,  the  unlearned,  and  all  ages — her  face 
lit  up  with  hope  and  courage,  and  she  said,  so  long- 
ingly, *'0h,  help  me  to  find  the  Savior,  and  to  get  a 
clean,  a  satisfied  heart." 

From;  that  time  she  never  missed  a  service  at  the 
Church,  and  in  a  couple  more  weeks  we  succeeded 
in  getting  the  man  to  Church,  when  his  heart  was  so 
moved  by  the  Holy  Spirit  that  he  repented,  gave  his 
heart  to  God,  and  consented  to  marry  at  once.  The 
dear  woman's  face  is  bright  with  her  new  found  joy, 
for  she  very  early  rejoiced  in  a  personal  Savior,  and 
together  they  are  living  a  new  life  before  God  and 
the  world. I.  The  night  of  their  simple  marriage  at 
the  church,  they  brought  with  them  another  Dutch- 
man who  that  same  hour,  with  these,  the  missionaries, 
and  a  few  others,  kneeling  about  him,  wept  his  way 
to  Calvary. 

There  are  many  such  homes  still  to  be  reached, 

179 


APPENDIX. 

and  God  ia  preparing  the  way  through  the  hearts  of 
the  women  in  urnany,  if  not  all  cases,  as  in  this.  The 
women  of  Java  are  ready  for  'the  gospel;  may  this 
coming  year,  through  the  power  /of  the  Holy  Ghost, 
be  one  of  abundant  fruitage,  and  deepening  of  those 
who  have  already  realized  an  experience  of  salvation — 
of  a  heart  renewed  wherein  dwells  their  Savior. 

E.  Naomi  Ruth. 


APPOINTMENTS  FOR  1910. 

NETHERLANDS  INDIES  DISTRICT. 

J.  R.  Dentes,  Superintendent^ 
(P.  0.,  Batavia,  Java). 

Batavia.     English  School C.  M.  Worthington 

Kebantanan Supplied  by  Balok  Arpasad 

Pasar  Senen To  be  supplied 

Pondok  Gede  To  be  supplied 

Tanah  Abang Supplied  by  Sia  Oan  Seng 

Tjilangkap    To  be  supplied 

Tjiater To  be  supplied 

Buitenzorg.    English  School B.  J.  Baughman 

Malay  School   Supplied  by  Ezekiel 

Chinese  School Supplied  by  Li  Teng  Ho 

T jampea   To  be  supplied 

Tjibinong    To  be  supplied 

Tjisaroea  C.  S.  Buchanan 

Sundamese Supplied  by  Lewi 

Soerabaya Supplied  by  Diong  Eng  Seng 

Batavia Mrs.  Denyes,  Miss  Ruth 

Buitenzorg Mrs.  Baughman 

Tjisaroea  Mrs.  Buchanan 

On  leave Mrs.  Buchanan 

180 


APPENDIX. 


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181 


APPENDIX. 

APPENDIX  B. 

SOME  LETTERS  FROM  OUR  MISSIONARIES. 

BuiTENZORG,  Java,  Jan.  10,  1906. 
Dear  Fellow  Leaguers  : 

In  my  first  letter  to  you  I  said,  '  *  This  is  your  time 
of  trial.  Waiting  for  thei  beginning  of  the  ingather- 
ing of  soula  will  try  your  patience,  as  it  will  mine. ' ' 
In  one  city  in  Java  a  Dutch  missionary  worked  for 
six  years  and  at  the  end  of  that  time  was  transferred 
to  another  place  without  having  seen  a  single  Chinese 
or  native  convert.  Another  missionary  came  and 
worked  for  sixteen  years  and  still  not  one  had  been 
baptized.  Had  I  been  called  upon  to  endure  such  a 
trial  I  fear  that  my  faith  would  have  failed.  But  for- 
tunately no  such  test  has  been  required.  Our  work 
has  been  blessed  beyond  what  we  might  have  reason- 
ably expected. 

The  Church  -of  which  I  wrote  you  before  as  a 
hope  of  the  near  future  has  become  a  reality.  On  the 
5th  of  November,  1905,  we  organized  the  First  Metho- 
dist Church  of  Java  at  Buitenzorg.  Mrs.  Denyes  was 
received  by  letter  and  four  Chinese  men  and  two  Chi- 
nese women  were  taken  in  on  probation.  Since  then 
five  more  men  have  been  received.  These  are  heads  of 
families,  and,  while  the  women  and  children  have  not 
yet  joined  the  Church,  they  are  learning  and  probably 
will  soon  come  in- 

I  often  wish  that  you  might  isee  us  as  we  meet  for 
our  regular  services.  We  have  rented  a  good  building 
in  the  midst  of  the  Chinese  quarter  of  the  city,  and 
there  we  hold  services  Monday,  Wednesday,  Friday, 
and  Sunday  nights.  At  7.15  Mrs.  Denyes  and  I  reach 
the  church.  There  is  always  a  double  line  of  people 
on  the  veranda  waiting  for  us.    We  shake  hand^  with 

182 


APPENDIX. 

each  of  them,  inquire  as  to  their  health  and  their  fam- 
ilies, and  then  all  gather  in  the  church.  The  average 
attendance  is  about  twenty  men.  and  ten  women.  If 
you  could  look  in  some  evening,  you  might  see  some 
things  that  would  not  accord  with  your  ideas  of  pro- 
priety. A  man  strolls  in  with  his  hat  on  and  a  lighted 
cigar  in  his  mouth.  He  sits  dowTi,  takes  off  his  shoes, 
and  draws  one  foot  up  under  him.  We  say  nothing, 
but  soon  some  neighbor  gives  him  a  friendly  nudge 
and  dowTL  goes  his  foot.  He  sees  that  no  one  else  has 
a  hat  on  or  a  cigar,  and  before  long  both  hat  and  cigar 
have  disappeared.  But  it's  almost  amusing  to  see  him 
when  it  comes  time  for  prayer.  When  I  say  ''Baik 
kita  minta  do  'a/'  every  man,  woman,  and  child 
kneels.  The  stranger  looks  about  in  a  dazed  sort  of  a 
way,  and  then  he  goes  on  his  Imees  upon  the  stone 
floor,  outwardly  as  reverent  as  though  he  had  been 
bom  a  Christian.  After  prayer  and  song  we  separate 
the  men  and  women.  I  take  'the  men  to  another  room^ 
while  Mrs.  Denyes  keeps  the  women.  The  women  are 
mostly  learning  ix)  read  Malay,  so  I\Irs.  Denyes  gives 
them  twenty  minutes  on  the  rudimentis  of  the  lan- 
guage and  fifteen  minutes  of  Bible  story.  I  am  taking 
the  men  through  the  Catechism.  I  usually  give  them 
ten  mdnutes  in  which  to  ask  questions,  and  this  gives 
me  an  opportunity  to  get  an  insight  into  their  mode 
of  thinking.  The  people  that  are  attending  the  meet- 
ings are  all  skilled  mechanics  or  shopkeepers.  All  of 
them  have  a  reading  knowledge  of  one  language,  and 
many  of  them  of  two  or  three.  We  return  to  the  main 
room  for  a  final  song  and  prayer  service.  On  Sun- 
days the  service  is  more  formal.  These  regular  day- 
by-day  meetings,  with  the  close  personal  element  that 
enters  into  them,  will  surely  bring  an  early  harvesiL 
A  ver}'  important  advance  step  has  been  taken  in 
the  beginning  of  a  Bible  woman's  training  school. 
Mrs.  Denyes  has  fitted  up  a  little  room  in  a  shed  on 

188 


APPENDIX. 

the  mission  oompoimd  and  has  one  woman  giving  her 
whole  time  to  study.  This  is  a  small  beginning,  but 
it  is  a  beginning,  and  from  this  school  we  hope  in  time 
to  turn  out  qualified  helpers  for  our  work. 

Since  my  last  report  there  has  been  an  entirely  new 
departure.  Nearly  two  months  ago  a  Chinaman 
hunted  me  up  and  wanted  me  to  go  with  him  to  see 
some  people  who  wanted  to  be  baptized.  I  went  with 
him  to  a  little  village  near  Batavia  and  found  there 
eleven  Chinese  who  had  been  gathered  together  by  a 
Malay  man  and  taught  for  nearly  a  year.  The  Malay 
had  formerly  beien  a  teacher  in  a  mission  school  at  the 
other  end  of  the  island,  but  had  moved  to  this  village 
some  time  before.  We  opened  a  school  for  IMalay  and 
Chinese  boys  and  girls,  but  as  he  became  acquainted 
with  the  parents  he  began  to  teach  them  Christianity. 
At  the  end  of  the  year  he  had  prepared  eleven  of 
them  for  baptism  and  he  wanted  me  to  baptize  them. 
I  examined  them  and  found  them  pretty  well  pre- 
pared. They  could  repeat  the  Lord's  Prayer,  the  Ten 
Commandments,  the  Apositles'  Creed,  and  part  of  the 
Catechism.  I  baptized  them,  and  then  they  wanted  me 
to  take  over  the  Church  and  unite  it  with  the  Metho- 
dist Church.  So  I  organized  them  into  a  Church  on 
the  Methodist  lines,  appointing  Balok  Arpasad,  the 
Malay,  an  exhorter  in  charge.  We  have  now  at  that 
village,  Karet,  fourteen  full  members  and  ten  proba- 
tioners. There  is  also  a  school  of  fourteen  boys  and 
girls.  One  fine  yoimg  man  goes  with  me  next  month 
to  Singapore  to  enter  the  Jean  Hamilton  Bible  Train- 
ing School  to  prepare  for  the  ministry. 

Christmas  is  passed.  It  has  been  a  busy  time  for 
us.  There  w^as  a  Christmas  tree  at  Karet,  but  the 
rains  had  made  the  roads  impassable,  so  we  could  not 
attend.  At  the  English  Church,  Batavia,  and  the 
Chinese  Church,  Buitenzorg,  we  had  religious  services 
but  no  tree,  as  we  had  only  three  or  four  children  in 

184 


APPENDIX. 

each  Church.  It  was  a  bit  lonely  for  us,  for  there 
are  no  English  people  in  Buitenzorg,  and  we  have 
been  accustomed  to  being  with  so  many  missionaries 
in  Singapore. 

Missionaries  always  want  something.  "We  are  no 
exceptions.  We  are  hoping  that  the  Ep worth  League 
will  send  us  a  Christmas  box  for  our  people  next  year. 
But  it  should  be  sent  by  the  first  of  July  to  make 
sure  that  it  will  reach  here  on  time.  We  also  want 
very  much  a  good  supply  of  Scripture  picture  cards 
and  Leaf  Clusters. 

Let  me  urge  once  more  that  the  Leaguers  do  not 
forget  that  this  work  is  their  work,  and  that  we  are 
depending  on  them  to  share  with  us  in  that  burden 
of  intercessory  prayer  that  will  bring  the  showers 
of  spiritual  blessing  upon  the  Church  in  Java. 
Sincerely,  your  substitute, 

J.  R.  Denyes. 
1-73  Salemba. 

Batavia,  Java,  May  4,  1908. 
Dear  Friends: 

If  it  were  as  great  a  pleasure  to  write  about  one 's 
work  as  it  is  to  do  it,  you  would  doubtless  hear  more 
frequently  from  the  field.  It  is  hard  to  realize  that 
in  the  homeland  there  are  people  who  are  saying, 
''Poor  fellow,  he  has  to  live  in  that  far-awaj^  land." 
The  missionary  who  lives  in  Java  needs  the  prayers 
of  Christians  that  he  may  be  wise  and  strong  and 
spiritual,  but  he  does  not  need  their  pity.  It  is  a 
privilege  that  any  one  might  covet  to  be  engaged  in 
a  work  that  is  growing  steadily  and  solidly  and  with 
a  prospect  of  continued  development.  Such  has  been 
the  work  in  Netherlands  India  from  the  beginning. 
There  have  been  a  few  halting  here  and  there,  but 
these  have  but  served  to  emphasize  the  fact  that  as  a 
whole  was  steadily  moving  forward.    I  am  firmly  con- 

185 


APPENDIX. 

vinced  that  the  continuous  victory  here  has  been  due 
in  no  small  measure  to  the  prevailing  prayers  offered 
up  by  the  young  people  of  the  Pittsburg  Conference. 

Since  our  last  report  there  have  been  several  ad- 
vance steps  taken.  One  of  these  has  been  the  opening 
of  a  new  preaching  station  in  Batavia  itself.  This 
place  is  called  Jembatang  Biisok,  or  the  ''Bad 
Bridge, ' '  from,  the  fact  that  years  ago  the  bridge  was 
used  as  a  place  for  hanging  criminals.  The  work  here 
is  among  the  Malays  and  the  Java-bom  Chinese.  We 
are  meeting  with  a  good  spirit  among  the  people,  and 
already  two  Chinese  have  been  baptized.  Eight  more 
are  being  prepared  for  baptism,  and  there  are  a  good 
number  of  regular  listeners. 

Some  twenty  miles  from  Batavia  on  the  line  of 
the  railroad  w^e  have  opened  another  station  at  Tjiater. 
One  of  our  Javanese  local  preachers  goes  out  there 
every  Saturday  afternoon  and  stays  over  night.  He 
holds  a  short  instruction  and  conversation  meeting 
on  Saturday  night  and  a  regular  preaching  service  on 
Sunday  morning.  Thirty  years  ago  there  was  a  flour- 
ishing church  at  this  place  among  the  Malays.  The 
missionary  died  and  the  place  was  not  cared  for.  The 
people  gradually  became  indifferent  and  in  the  course 
of  years  backslid.  When  the  government  required 
them  to  register  according  to  religious  belief,  the 
younger  generation  mostly  registered  as  Mohammed- 
ans in  order  to  avoid  persecution.  When  we  went 
there  we  found  only  one  old  man  and  his  wife  who 
had  kept  up  a  semblance  of  Christianity,  though  none 
of  the  former  Christians  ever  really  went  back  to 
Mohammedanism.  We  put  up  a  little  bamboo  church 
costing  twenty  American  dollars,  and  began  services. 
We  have  won  back  about  ten  of  the  people,  and  others 
seem  about  ready  to  come  in.  As  soon  as  we  can  get 
the  money  we  will  open  a  school  for  the  children,  and 
then  we  will  probably  get  most  of  the  older  people  and 

186 


APPENDIX. 

many  of  the  younger  families  intx)  sympathy  with  the 
Church. 

We  were  also  fortunate  in  the  early  part  of  Mar(^ 
to  get  again  a  regular  preacher  for  our  Tanah  Abang 
Chinese  Church.  Diong  Ing  Seng  was  sent  to  us  from 
Sarawak,  Borneo.  The  church  here  was  not  in  a  good 
condition,  but  Ing  Seng  seems  to  be  getting  the  hearts 
of  the  people.  They  are  putting  a  new  platform  and 
altar  in  the  church  and  have  done  some  repairing. 
The  people  are  being  brought  to  see  the  need  of  better 
lives,  and  several  are  making  distinct  progress  in  spir- 
itual life. 

Probably  the  most  importanft  move  th^t  has  been 
made  during  the  last  few  months  was  the  adding  of 
Rev,  Otto  A.  Carlson  to  the  working  force  of  Java. 
In  Januar}^  a  wealthy  Chinaman  of  Buitenzorg  of- 
fered to  pay  a  subsidy  to  the  mission,  provided  we 
would  get  an  American  teacher  for  our  Buitenzorg 
school  in  place  of  the  Japanese  who  was  then  teaching. 
He  signed  a  legal  contract  obligating  himself  and  his 
heirs  for  five  years  to  pay  the  difference  between  the 
amount  received  from  vschool  fees  at  a  fixed  rate  and 
the  full  amount  of  a  missionary 's  salary,  thus  making 
the  school  entirely  independent  of  mission  support. 

No  restrictions  are  placed  upon  religious  teachings, 
and  we  may  receive  all  the  really  poor  children  we  can 
care  for  at  his  expense.  The  bishop  at  once  trans- 
ferred ^Ir.  Carlson  fronu  the  I\Ialay  Peninsula  to 
Buitenzorg.  ]\Ir.  Carlson  will  also  be  the  missionary 
in  charge  of  the  native  churches  at  Buitenzorg  and 
Tjampea.  AYe  have  now  on  the  district  two  married 
and  two  single  men. 

Opportunities  for  work  are  now  coming  to  us  faster 
than  we  can  find  the  funds  to  care  for  them.  I  have 
baptized  about  twenty  since  the  first  of  the  year,  about 
half  of  them  coming  direct  from  ]\Iohammedanism.  In 
two  places  Mohammedans  have  asked  for  a  teacher 

187 


APPENDIX. 

to  be  sent  to  them.  In  other  places  the  people  would 
be  glad  to  have  us  open  Christian  schools  and  would 
listen  to  the  gospel.  Chinese  and  Malays  who  have 
become  Christians,  but  have  moved  away  to  other 
places,  are  continually  sending  to  us  asking  that 
churches  be  opened  in  their  villages.  There  is  a  rich 
harvest  waiting  for  the  reapers.  Pray  ye  therefore 
the  Lord  of  the  harvest  that  He  will  send  forth  labor- 
ers into  the  harvest. 

Yours  in  His  service, 

J.  R.  Denyes. 

"Singapore,  Straits  Settlements,  Jan.  21,  1909. 
To  Pittsburg  Conference  Leaguers  : 

Though  thousands  lof  miles  of  land  and  water  now 
separate  us,  and  though  my  present  surroundings  are 
new,  strange,  and  fascinating,  yet  'my  thoughts  are 
often  of  the  bright  faces  full  ot  enthusiasm,  into  which 
I  looked  at  the  Epworth  League  rallies  about  nine 
weeks  ago ;  and  I  would  send  you  a  few  lines  of  greet- 
ing from  this  beautiful  city  of  Singapore.  The  bless- 
ings of  God,  temporal  and  spiritual,  have  been  rich 
and  bountiful  throughout  the  voyage;  and  my  "soul 
doth  magnify  the  Lord. ' '  On  the  mo-ming  of  Thanks- 
giving Day  I  left  my  home  for  New  York,  whence  we 
sailed  November  28th.  The  party  consisted  of  Bishop 
and  Mrs.  Oldham,  their  niece,  who  went  only  as  far 
as  England,  a  young  lady  coming  to  Malaysia  as  a 
teacher,  and  myself. 

We  who  had  not  seen  England  before  put  to  good 
use  the  twelve  days  spent  there,  appreciating  greatly 
the  privilege  of  visiting  the  many  places  of  interest 
and  renowTi.  We  were  very  glad,  however,  when  the 
eighteenth  day  of  December  appeared,  and  we  once 
more  turned  our  faces  towards  the  land  which  our 
hearts  most  longed  to  enter.  Southward  we  sailed, 
until  in  a  few  days  the  sunny  skies  of  Gibraltar  were 

188 


APPENDIX. 

abov^  us.  During  the  voyage  from  London  to  Singa- 
pore we  touched  port  at  Gibraltar,  Marseilles,  Port 
Said,  Aden,  Colombo,  and  Penang,  and  all  along  the 
skies  and  each  sight  of  land  became  more  beautiful. 
As  we  moved  through  channels  between  and  among 
richly  green  peninsulas  and  islets  in  the  Singapore 
harbor,  the  scene  was  most  charming,  and  my  thoughts 
and  emotions  became  conflicting  a.s  I  reveled  in  the 
beauties  of  nature,  and  reflected,  ' '  Can  heathen  dark- 
ness abide  where  the  hand  of  God  has  so  mani- 
festly wrought  ? "  As  we  drew  closer  to  the  city,  how- 
ever, where  I  caught  sight  of  native  people,  with  a 
dull  aching  in  my  heart  I  realized  that  it  was  true; 
and  at  once  the  prayer  was  intensified  that  the  effort 
of  the  Pittsburg  Conference  Epworth  Leagues  to 
spread  the  gospel  light  to  those  whose  hearts  and  lives 
are  in  darkness  and  total  ignorance  of  their  Crea1;or, 
might  soon,  very  soon,  abound  in  fruitfulness. 

Having  been,  left  at  Colombo  by  Bishop  and  ]\Irs. 
Oldham,  and  at  Penang  by  ]\Iiss  Sutherland,  I  was  the 
sole  member  of  our  party  to  reach  Singapore  at  the 
appointed  time.  Miss  Olson,  one  of  our  Singapore 
missionaries,  met  'me  at  the  wharf,  and  we  were  soon 
in  a  comfortable  carriage  driving  over  beautiful  roads 
toward  the  government  groimds,  in.  which  the  ]\letho- 
dist  missionaries  have  their  homes.  I  was  brought  to 
the  Deaconess  Home,  which  is  located  upon  a  hill 
overlooking  the  sea  and  surrounded  by  a  luxuriant 
growth  of  trees,  shrubs,  and  flowei^. 

The  fii'st  evening  I  spent  in  the  city  I  attended  a 
service  in  a  neat  little  church,  where  I  was  surprised 
and  greatly  pleased  with  the  appearance,  singing,  and 
prayei^s  of  the  Chinese  ancl  ]\Ialay  congregation. 
Surely  this  is  ample  and  gratifying  reward  to  those 
who  spend  their  means  and  their  strength  to  lift  up 
the  teeming  humanity  of  the  Orient.  The  coming  two 
or  three  weeks  will  be  spent  in  Singapore,  but  when 

189 


APPENDIX. 

you  read  'this  letter  I  shall  doubtless  be  in  Java.  And 
so,  dear  young  people,  remembering  that  you  have 
''tightened  the  ropes  and  driven  further  the  stakes" 
on  behalf  of  Java,  I  would  again  say  to  every  indi- 
vidual Epworth  Leaguer,  that  this  will  not  be  suffi- 
cient unless  you  ''keep  at  it"  by  intercession  at  the 
throne  of  grace.  Keep  in  clooe  touch  with  our  Leader, 
and  keep  Java  before  Him  by  your  own  personal 
requests. 

Your  sister  in  His  ma^t  blessed  service, 

E.  Naomi  Ruth. 

Batavia,  Java,  July  15,  1909. 
Dear  Pittsburg  Conference  Epworth  Leaguers: 

With  a  heart  full  of  praise  to  our  dear  Savior  who 
grants  us  the  high  privilege  of  being  workers  to- 
gether with  Him,  and  whose  grace  is  more  than  suffi- 
cient for  His  trusting  children  in  whatever  land  or 
conditions,  I  greet  you  from  this  lovely  island  of  the 
Southern  and  Eastern  Hemisphere,  among  the  people 
for  whom  we  are  jointly  laboring.  Tlie  rains  are  con- 
tinuing into  the  so-called  dry  season,  and  the  world 
of  nature  is  bright,  fresh,  and  beautiful.  The  birds 
down  here  seem  to  sing  the  same  songs  as  those  of 
American  woods  in  the  springtime  and  sumimer;  at 
least  the  theme  is  the  same  set  to  different  music. 
Vegetation  is  rich  and  luxuriant ;  and  with  the  grace- 
ful, brilliantly  green  palms,  together  with  other  large, 
beautiful  native  trees,  beneath  a  radiant  slr^ ,  the  scene 
is  charming  indeed.  Nature  is  a  faithful  witness  to 
her  Creator,  but  human  woes,  'moral  and  spiritual 
darlmess  are  evident  on  every  hand. 

On  a  Sabbath  morning  about  half-past  eight  I 
start  out  to  walk  to  the  little  church  at  Passer  Senen, 
for  the  air  is  fresh  and  pleasant,  and  I  am  soon  roused 
from  my  sweet  meditations  to  see  how  real  are  the 
people  and  their  needs  in  a  non-Christian  land.    As  I 

190 


APPENDIX. 

walk  along  the  street  I  find  myself  in  a  moving,  cease- 
less strain  of  vehicles  and  people.  ]\Iost  numerous  are 
the  men,  women,  and  boys  carr^-ing  heavy  burdens 
upon  their  head  or  shoulders;  some  with  baskets  of 
fruit  and  vegetables  for  sale,  others  with  loads  of  wood 
and  grass.  Frequently  I  am  met  by  a  group  of  men 
walking  two  abreast,  about  six  or  eight  feeit  behind 
each  other,  with  bamboo  poles  extended  on  their  shoul- 
ders, laden  with  chairs,  tables,  and  heavier  articles  of 
furniture.  They  are  carr\nng  the  household  goods  of 
some  Dutch  family  who  find  it  more  convenient  to 
move  on  Sunday  than  on  any  other  day  of  the  week. 
Here  and  there  along  the  sides  of  the  street  are  men 
with  trinkets  or  cooked  food  for  sale,  surrounded  by 
noisy,  chattering  groups  of  men,  women,  and  children 
who  thoughtlessly  spend  their  last  *'duit"  and  go  to 
their  neighbor  or  master  to  borrow  sufficient  for  self- 
support  until  the  next  pay  day.  Now  I  am  met  by  a 
Malay  man  or  woman  who  wears  the  conspicuous 
head  attire  indicative  that  he  is  a  hadji — that  he  has 
made  a  pilgrimage  to  ]\Iecca.  Here  comes  a  Hindu 
priest,  with  proud  step,  arrayed  in  a  long  white  gar- 
ment flowing  loosely  from  the  neck  to  the  ankles. 
Here  and  there  is  a  blind  man,  or  lame,  clad  in  a  few 
rags,  led  by  a  small  child,  seeking  his  sustenance  by 
begging.  A  little  farther  and  a  slowly  moving  proces- 
sion of  men  and  women  appear  all  in  white,  those  in 
front  bearing  upon  their  shoulders  an  oddly  shaped 
box  covered  over  with  a  red  and  gold  cloth.  It  is  a 
Chinese  funeral;  the  dead  burynng  their  dead — and 
how  my  heart  sickens  at  the  thought !  How  dreadful, 
how  sad  it  is,  that  men  and  women — people  for  whose 
souls  Christ  made  atonement — are  so  blind  to  and  ig- 
norant of  the  truth  that  they  have  themselves  made 
gods  and  creeds  to  suit  their  o^^^l  distorted,  dark  ideas 
of  worship ! 

Not  least  in  number  in  this  living  picture  of  hu- 

191 


APPENDIX. 

manity  are  those  natives  of  the  island  who  have 
turned  from  the  claims  of  Islam,  acknowledging  them- 
selves Christians,  whom  the  Dutch  have  educated  and 
given  positions  in  the  Church,  but  whose  faces  plainly 
show  that  the  blessed  light  of  salvation  has  never 
found  its  way  to  their  hearts.  Grod  had  designs  in 
planting  the  Methodist  Church  in  Java,  and  undoubt- 
edly this  was  one :  to  show  to  natives  and  Europeans 
alike  that  the  salvation  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  is 
to  be  divinely  wrought  in  the  heart  of,  and  enjoyed  by, 
every  one  who  will  open  his  heart  to  Him*,  no  matter 
what  the  color  of  his  skin,  or  under  what  sky  he  was 
bom.  As  I  reach  the  end  of  my  half  hoar's  walk  and 
enter  the  humble,  outwardly  uninviting  room  in  which 
the  service  is  held,  the  people  who  greet  me  are  proof 
of  this  blessed  fact.  Not  one  of  them  is  ^ich  in  this 
world's  goods,  but  the  happy  smile  on  their  faces  tells 
that  they  have  found  the  mine  of  eternal  treasures. 
There  is  Manasseh,  an  educated  Javanese,  who  had 
formerly  tried  in  succession  several  religions — Islam, 
Confucianism,  Catholicism,  and  perhaps  others,  but 
now  he  says  with  a  beaming  countenance',  ''Now  I 
know  ithat  Jesus  Christ  will  cleanse  our  hearts  from 
sin,  and  we  may  be  His  children.  Very  great ! ' '  Then 
there  is  Amena,  an  ex-hadji,  who  for  twenty  years 
was  a  teacher  of  Mohammedanism,  but  who  was  after- 
Avard  touched  and  won  by  the  Gospel  stcry,  and  whom 
now  we  have  in  training  for  a  Bible  woman.  Her 
heart  seems  bubbling  over  with  love  and  praise  to 
Him  whose  matchless  love  found  her,  and  she  never 
loses  an  opportunity  to  bear  testimony  to  what  she 
experiences  and  enjoys  in  her  heart,  and  to  the  saving 
power  of  Jesus  Christ. 

Yes,  dear  young  people,  with  fruit  'such  as  these 
precious  souls,  we  know  we  shall  never  regret  any- 
thing we  may  have  done,  or  any  offering  made  of  our- 
selves, our  time,  our  means,  or  the  tears  we  have  shed 

192 


APPENDIX. 

on  our  knees  before  the  Father,  that  these  people  may- 
be brought  to  a  knowledge  of  Jesus  and  be  lifted  from 
their  darkness  into  His  marvelous  light! 

And  how  supremely  sweet  will  be  His  smiling  fa- 
vor and  blessing  in  our  own  souls,  and  to  hear  Him 
acknowledge  before  the  Father, ' '  They  have  done  what 
they  could!" 

In  bonds  of  love-service  to  our  King. 

E.  Naomi  Ruth. 

Batavia,  Java,  February  22,  1910. 
My  Dear  ]\Iiss  Brooks: 

I  am  afraid  you  are  thinking  me  a  very  indiffer- 
ent, inappreciative  individual,  and  of  course  I  can  not 
blame  you,  after  delaying  so  long  writing  to  you  to 
aclaiowledge  and  thank  you  for  the  personal  remem- 
brances in  the  Christmas  box.  It  was  sweet  indeed  to 
be  remembered  by  the  different  ones  at  the  Christmas 
season,  and  I  do  want  to  assure  you  'that  I  thoroughly 
enjoy  and  appreciate  the  gifts  you  sent — both  lovely 
and  useful.  The  little  book,  especially,  not  only  gives 
me  pleasure,  but  others  are  being  profited  by  it,  as  it 
is  quite  new  to  the  Europeans  here,  and  I  am  loaning 
it  out  to  some,  expecting  it  to  help  them. 

The  little  sewing-kit  is  also — ^to  use  an  American 
expression  which  to  me  here  has  almost  become  imfa- 
miliar — just  as  "dear"  as  can  be,  and  I  am  very  glad 
to  have  it.    Thank  you  for  both. 

It  scarcely  seems  possible,  as  I  look  back  over  the 
past,  that  I  have  already  entered  on  'my  second  year 
in  Java.  I  thank  my  Father  for  the  blessings  and  joy 
He  has  given  me  in  His  service  thus  far,  and  for  the 
bright  outlook  of  the  future.  There  is  such  real  glad- 
ness in  realizing  myself  with  the  privilege  of  bringing 
the  news  of  salvation  to  these  people,  and  meeting 
with  them,  seeing  and  knowing  them,  in  their  homes. 
There  is,  of  eourse,  the  feeling  that  we  ai-e  all  bound 

13  193 


APPENDIX. 

to  have  at  times,  no  matter  where  we  labor,  that  the 
few  I  am  able  to  touch,  as  compared  to  the  multitudes 
about  me,  can  not  be  counting  for  very  much;  and 
then,  too,  are  the  disappointments  and  anxieties  over 
the  different  ones  whom  I  hope  to  see  "strong  in  the 
faith."  But,  after  all,  a  soul  does  count  for  so 
much ;  and  the  dear  sheep,  though  wandering,  are  His, 
and  He  bears  them  on  His  heart.  While  it  is  sadly 
true  that  some  before  getting  a  real  heart  vision  of 
Jesus  will  be  drawn  away  into  sin  again,  yet  there  are 
the  many  over  whom  to  rejoice  because  of  the  tenacity 
with  which  they  hold  to  and  follow  the  new  way; 
whose  faces  are  lit  up  with  an  inner  spiritual  joy  (how 
precious  this  is  to  see!)  and  whose  feet  are  planted. 
And  there  are  always  those  to  be  found,  who  after 
being  told  tho  story,  exclaim  with  great  eagerness, 
' '  How  I  love  to  hear  it !  When  will  you  come  again 
to  read  to  me  from  that  book. ' '  ( The  book,  of  course, 
is  the  Gospels.)  I  seldom  ever  in  my  daily  calling 
have  an  audience  of  but  one  woman,  for  the  neighbor 
women,  seeing  me  enter  a  house,  gather  there  one  by 
one  until  I  am  surrounded  by  a  group  of  eager  listen- 
ers. Then  with  picture  illustrations  I  give  them  some 
lesson  story,  or  sitories,  from  the  life  of  Jesus  and 
the  apostles;  that  is,  if  they  are  Mohammedans;  if 
they  happen  to  be  Chinese,  the  It^sson  must  be  directed 
more  along  the  line  of  God  as  the  Father,  the  Creator, 
while  the  Mohammedans  need  to  know  Him  as  the 
Son  of  man,  the  Redeemer.  Not  long  ago  a  Moham- 
medan woman  said  to  me,  ''Oh,  that  is  just  what  I 
am  looking  for,  just  what  my  heart  longs  for!"  Of 
course  it  is  what  all  their  hearts  crave,  though  not 
all  realize  it  as  yet.  But  the  Spirit  is  manifestly  mov- 
ing on  their  hearts,  and  I  feel  confiden.  that  there  is 
in  the  near  future  a  great  movement  not  only  towards, 
but  into  Christianity  on  the  part  of  these  Mohammed- 

194 


APPENDIX. 

ans  of  Java.     It  is  already  on  the  way.     Praise  Ilis 
Name ! 

Pray  that  there  be  a  greater  readiness  within 
tliem  to  receive  the  message,  and  that  I  be  filled  with 
the  wisdom  and  power  from  above  in  dealing  wiith 
these  people,  leading  them  to  the  Savior.  I  feel  keenly 
my  need  of  careful  judgment  and  wisdom,  and  can 
depend  only  on  Ilira  for  it.    It  is  all  for  His  dear  sake. 

If  there  be  anything  of  interest  in  this  for  the  dear 
Leaguers,  give  it  as  my  message  ito  them,  'with  my 
greetings. 

I  hope  soon  to  write  them  more  at  length. 
Ever  your  sister,  lovingly, 

E.  Naomi  Ruth. 

APPENDIX  C. 
IMPORTANT  DATES. 

October  25,  1904,  Denyes  farewell  meeting,  Pittsburg, 
Pennsylvania. 

October  28,  1904,  Denyes  family  sailed  for  Java. 

March  14,  1905,  Dr.  West  and  Mr.  Denyes  make  pre- 
liminary trip  to  Java. 

April  2,  1905,  First  ^Methodist  Episcopal  baptism  in 
Java. 

July  17,  1905,  Denyes  family  arrive  in  Java. 

November  5,  1905,  First  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
organized  in  Java. 

February  5,  1907,  C.  S.  Buchanan  appointed  to  Mo- 
hainniedan  Avork  in  Java. 

November  20,  1908,  Farewell  meeting  for  Miss  Ruth 
in  Pittsburg. 

November  28,  1908,  Miss  Ruth  sailed  for  Java. 

April  19,  1909,  Otto  A.  Carlson  died;  first  Java  mis- 
sionary to  pass  to  his  reward. 

195 


APPENDIX. 

APPENDIX  D. 
LIST  OP  REFERENCE  BOOKS. 

Java,  the  Garden  of  the  East.  By  E.  R.  Scidmore. 
The  Century  Company.     $1.50. 

Java,  the  Pearl  of  the  East.  By  S.  J.  Higginson. 
Houghton,  Mifflin  &  Co.     75c. 

The  Mastery  of  the  Pacific  (chap.  12).  By  A.  R. 
Colquhoun.    Williajm  Heinemann,  London.    $4. 

The  Dutch  in  Java.  By  Clive  Day.  The  Macmillan 
Company. 

History  of  Java.     By  Sir  Stamford  Raffles.     2  Yols. 

Java ;  Facts  and  Fancies.    By  Augusta  de  Wit. 

Island  Life.  By  Alfred  Russel  Wallace.  The  ]Mac- 
IMillan  Company. 

Adventures  of  Two  Youths  in  a  Journey  to  Siam  and 
Java.     By  Thos.  W.  Knox.     Harper  Brothers. 

Stories  of  the  Island  World.     By  Wordhoff. 

Malaysia,  Nature's  Wonderland.  By  Bishop  Oldham. 
Eaton  &  Mains.     35c. 

Islam  and  Christianity  in  the  Far  East.  By  Wherry 
(chap.  3).    Fleming  II.  Revell  Company.    $1.25. 

The  Mohammedan  World  of  To-day.  Edited  by  Bar- 
ton, Zwemer,  and  Wherry  (chap.  1-4).  Fleming 
H.  Revell  Company.    $1.50. 

Our  Moslem  Sisters.  Edited  by  Van  Sommer  and 
Zwemer  (chap.  23).  Fleming  H.  Revell  Com- 
pany.   $1.25. 


196 


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